


Three's Not a Crowd

by mistressterably



Category: The Thick of It (TV)
Genre: F/M, family life, kids being kids, more family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-04 01:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 27,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10980705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistressterably/pseuds/mistressterably
Summary: Malcolm and Dani aren't quite done with just two kids. There's a third on the way and there's lots to do to get ready for the newborn.





	1. Chapter 1

Dani woke up early in the morning. Her stomach felt like it was turning inside out as she quickly ran to the washroom. Trying to stay quiet, Dani was soon retching into the toilet bowl. After resting a few minutes, she got up and was washing her face off at the sink when Malcolm joined her silently. 

‘Oh, Malcolm. Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.’ 

Malcolm came up behind her, his hands resting on her stomach. ‘Anytime you leave the bed it gets cold and I wake up missing you. You okay? That’s what? Three days now?’

Dani sighed, her head resting on his chest as she gazed at him via the reflection. ‘Four days. I was already up to get ready for work one day when I threw up.’ 

‘It can’t be anything you’ve eaten can it? To last this long?”

‘Malcolm.’ Dani looked at him, a tinge of worry in her eyes. ‘I’d better see the doctor I think.’

‘Do you think?”

‘I don’t know, Malcolm. I just don’t know. It may be but I have to be sure first.’

‘Even after over 2 years?’

Dani turned around in his arms, laying her hand on his stubbled cheek. ‘Let me get to the doctor’s first. Then we’ll go from there.’

‘There’s no if if you are.’ Malcolm held her face gently. ‘Go to the doctor’s. Find out for sure. Then we make plans.’

‘But … ‘ Dani began to argue but Malcolm stopped her with a soft kiss.

‘Doctor.’


	2. Chapter 2

Dani’s appointment with the gynecologist went well. The doctor took some blood and then looked at Dani with a smile. ‘Look, Dani, I know it’s going to take a few days for the results to come back but I’m going to put money on you being pregnant.’

‘How sure are you?’ Dani asked, a bit of worry in her stomach.

‘I’d say at least 80% sure. Remember, I was there the entire time you carried Grace. This is the same pattern again. Do you recall when you had your last period?’

‘Maybe 2 months. It just may be a little late.’

‘Have you talked to Malcolm?’

‘We have. He’s fine with it if I am pregnant. But I’m not that young anymore and he certainly isn’t either. I just don't know if it’s a good idea. I was rather glad when nothing happened for a long time after meeting him. You know how awkward it’s been.’

‘Then came Grace. I know. You worried over her as well and the pregnancy was normal.’ The doctor smiled and patted Dani on the hands. ‘You just worry too much. Remember, work life balance also means not stressing. You’re beginning to stress already.’

‘I know, I know.’ Dani smiled in a slightly strained way. ‘It’s not been easy at all for me.’

‘You have excellent support with Malcolm and your two girls. Relax as much as you can and just let this baby progress naturally.’ The doctor stood up, ending the appointment. ‘I’ll call you when I have the results. Shall I only talk to you or is it okay to leave a message with Malcolm for you if you’re at work.’

‘Please, just me.’ Dani said with a hesitant smile. ‘I want to tell Malcolm whatever the results are myself.’


	3. Chapter 3

Dani was at work three days later. In her office she was busy going over all the receipts from the day before. Her frustration levels were going up as she found some discrepancies in the totals. Throwing down her pen, she sat back in her office chair. ‘Damned numbers. More slippery than a fish.’ Her phone rang. A quick glance at the caller ID made her hold her breath. It was her doctor’s office.

‘Dani? How are you doing?’

‘Had a few more mornings of upset stomach.’ Dani admitted.

‘Well, your results are back from the lab.’

‘Am I?’ Dani asked.

‘Based on the results, I’d say you and Malcolm are going to be the parents of a Christmas baby.’

Dani couldn’t speak for some time. ‘Then I am?’

‘You are.’

‘Due at Christmas?’

‘I’d say mid-December to end of December.’

‘Oh.’ Dani finally said goodbye and hung up the phone. She knew she ought to stay and finish the numbers but she couldn’t focus anymore. She called over her assistant manager, Daniel, and had him take over the math. ‘I have to go home a bit early today, Daniel.’

‘Still not feeling well?’

‘Not really. I’m sorry, Daniel. I’ll make it up to you this weekend or next.’

‘Do what you have to, Dani. Get better.’ 

Dani left the shop, nodding to some of her regular customers and the employees she passed on the way. Out in the cool air, she felt her head clear a little but it was still nerve-wracking for her. She could still remember the look on Malcolm’s face when she had told him she was pregnant with Gracie. He had been so surprised but so happy. They’d been intimate often enough as Mia had grown up and they had grown closer as a couple. Malcolm had confided to her that he expected the problem had been with him. 

Arriving at home, Dani’s introspection ended abruptly as Mia came racing to the front door to hug her by way of welcome.

‘Mommy! You’re home early!’ 

Malcolm followed behind. ‘You are early. All okay?’

‘Fine, everything’s fine. I just wasn’t getting anywhere at work.’ 

Malcolm’s eyes asked her the question he wanted to ask but he held it back as she hinted at talking to him later on. Mia interrupted anything else they may wanted to talk about. ‘Mommy, come. I want to show you what I did at school today.’

‘What’d you do then?’ Dani asked, only managing a quick kiss with Malcolm as their daughter dragged her to the kitchen. Malcolm chuckled and followed behind. 

Throughout the evening, Malcolm tried to get Dani to tell him what she knew about the results but it was one of those evenings when the two girls seemed to want attention constantly. If it weren’t Mia wanting to get help with her school work or some colouring it was Gracie spilling her juice all over the floor. As a result, it wasn’t until they were both settling onto the couch to watch a bit of television in peace with a cup of tea before bed that any form of adult conversation could happen. 

Malcolm brought in cups of tea for both of them and, handing Dani hers, he settled down beside her. ‘So? You got home early and you weren’t ill. You’ve certainly looked like you wanted to say something all evening long.’

Dani curled her hands around her cup of tea, warming her fingers for a moment. ‘I have wanted to speak to you all evening, Malcolm. Just thought it best to speak to you first rather than with the girls around.’

Malcolm nodded. ‘Results?’

‘Yeah.’ 

‘You’re not looking too happy. What’s up?’

‘I’m pregnant, Malcolm. Due date would be around Christmastime.’

He reached over and stroked her hair back from her face. ‘But you’re not happy about this? I am.’

‘Are you, Malcolm? It’s been a while and you’re not any younger.’

‘You’re the one carrying the child, not me. How old I am isn’t a big deal.’

‘It will be when the kids get older.’

‘Dani, love, look up.’ Malcolm urged her gently with a touch to her chin. ‘Since you and Mia came into my life I’ve never felt better or younger. The girls keep me in shape. So do you. Are you up to carrying the child?’

‘Of course I am, Malcolm. I just don’t want to strain you or our relationship. Even my work is going to be impacted by this. It’s a lot to worry about.’

‘Dani, honestly,’ Malcolm set his cup on the coffee table and pulled her into a hug. ‘I’m just as responsible for getting us into this situation and I am more than happy to share this burden with you.’

‘By the time this child is a teenager you’ll be in your 60’s, Malcolm.’  
‘Love, you make it sound like I’m on my deathbed!’ Malcolm chuckled.

‘I don’t mean..’ Dani caught the twinkle in his eye. ‘Oh, Malcolm. I just feel that we should have been more careful or talked about this before.’

‘Maybe.. Ifs… should haves… none of that matters now, my love. I want this child. Do you?’

‘I do, Malcolm. As long as you do as well.’

Malcolm took her hand in his and held it to his heart. ‘Feel that? That’s my heart beating faster wanting this child as soon as possible.’ Dani’s hand lay flat on his chest, his hand over hers. ‘Our family will only get stronger and better with this new baby. Think of how Mia and Gracie will be with a baby sister or brother.’

‘Mia will adore it.’ Dani finally began to smile, Malcolm’s enthusiasm began to ease her fears. ‘I hope Gracie will be just as helpful.’

‘Gracie’s a bit young still but I don’t think she’ll be much different from her older sister. Mia has a big impact on anyone she meets. Look what she did to me.’

‘Oh, Malcolm. She certainly has!’ Dani was beaming now. Setting her cup down beside Malcolm’s she threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. ‘We’ll be okay then? With a third child?’

‘Can only say it this way love.’ Malcolm kissed her a long time. ‘We’ll be more than okay, love. We’ll be fucking okay!’

‘Malcolm! Language!’ Dani playfully smacked him.

‘Hey, you know what though?’

‘What?’ Dani looked puzzled a moment.

‘If this little miracle is due in December…’ Malcolm quirked a look at her. ‘Means it’s a birthday gift.’

She had to think a moment and then went ‘Oh!’ 

‘That was a good birthday evening for you then and now it’s turned out even better.’

Dani blushed at the memories of her last birthday night with Malcolm.


	4. Chapter 4

Dani was still coming to terms with her latest pregnancy two and a half months later. So far, both her and Malcolm had managed to keep the news from their daughters. It wasn’t Gracie that they were keeping it from but Mia. Telling Mia would be like publishing the news in the paper. She had confided in Daniel at work. Her senior assistant manager was more than willing and ready to take more on in the store running. One person she had dreaded telling was the owner, Brian, but she shouldn’t have worried in the end. Brian had been nothing but encouraging when she had called him the day before to break the news. 

‘Take your full maternity leave, Dani. You’ve done a marvellous job with the store up there in Glasgow and Daniel is more than ready to fill your shoes for the time you’ll need for the youngster.’

‘I really am grateful, Brian. I’ll be back to it as soon as I can afterward but it’s not for some months yet.’

‘Do you know if it’s a boy or girl yet?’ 

‘No, not yet. I’ve got a scheduled appointment tomorrow. Ultrasound. We may know then.’

‘Well, congratulations Dani and keep me posted.’

Now, she sat on the edge of the bed well before anyone else was up that morning. Her nervousness building up again. This time over worry for the results. Dani laid her hands on her abdomen. She fancied she could feel the heartbeat of her unborn baby already despite her doctor telling her it would be her own heartbeat she was feeling. 

‘Oh!’ Dani jerked in surprise at the touch of fingers on her lower back.

‘Morning, love.’ Malcolm was still sleepy-eyed as his fingertips stroked her skin. ‘You’re up early for a day off.’

‘Doctor’s today, remember?’

‘I remember. It’s not till 11 am. Come back to sleep.’

‘I can’t sleep, Malcolm.’

He moved in the bed until he was sitting up behind her, sliding his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder. ‘Baby giving you a hard time this morning?’

‘Nerves.’

‘This time around it’s been easier for you.’

‘Physically yes.’ Dani agreed. She tilted her head to rest against Malcolm’s. ‘Mentally… I’m still worried about having a third child.’

‘Shush, love. We’ve talked this over before.’ Malcolm’s hands rubbed up and down on her abdomen, lightly massaging her. ‘You know what is harder for you this time round?’

‘What?’

‘The hormonal swings. Just last night you were all giddy and happy, thinking about how we can convert the guest room into a nursery.’

Dani sighed. ‘You may be right, Malcolm. You did arrange that we can drop Gracie off at daycare and come with me to the ultrasound appointment?’

‘I did. I’ve arranged it so we can have an adult lunch too. Mia will be out of school at 2:30 and we can leave Gracie at daycare until then too. Pick them both up at the same time.’ Malcolm tugged on her gently, pulling her back until they were both laying down once more. ‘We have time yet before the girls need to be up to get ready. Sleep some more, love.’

Dani sighed softly as she curled up against him, safe and warm. ‘Malcolm, I don’t deserve you.’

‘Dani, love, it’s not about deserving. It’s about loving and caring. I love you and I care about you. You and the girls are everything I need now to live. And if I have to tell you the same thing 50 million times whenever you have a hormone spike, then I will.’

‘If I hadn’t gotten the job..’

‘Shush. I’m not going to have you think that.’ Malcolm was quick to stop her talking, his finger pressing against her lips. ‘I have you, I have Mia, I have Gracie. I have my family. No what ifs or should haves. Let philosophers and priests debate that bullshit. I know I have you in my arms here in our bed and you’re warm and you’re soft. I don’t need anything more than that to know that the world is right.’

‘Malcolm,’ Dani pushed his finger from her lips to talk. ‘Are you this adorable just to make me fall in love with you all over again.’

‘I’m this adorable to keep you in love with me all the time.’ Malcolm smiled before kissing her soundly. ‘Now, cuddle up and close your eyes. You get your lie in for your day off.’

Hours later, Dani woke up a second time but this time she was alone in the bed. Laying there, content in the lingering warmth under the covers, she could hear Malcolm and the girls as they got ready for school and daycare. Malcolm must have closed the door to the bedroom when he had got up she realized. The noises were muffled as Mia ran up and down the stairs collecting the various things she’d need for her school day. The young girl never did anything the easy way it seemed. Dani couldn’t complain though. Mia’s constant running about to get things she forgot the first time helped burn off some of her energy.

‘Daddy! Dress me!’ Gracie called out. Dani could hear her daughter’s little feet padding around. 

‘Shush, Gracie. I’ll come and dress you but keep your voice down. Hey! Where’d you come from?’

‘Dress me!’ 

‘Haven’t I told you to not run around with only your underwear on? I’m not intending to raise a nudist here, little lady!’

‘What’s a nudist, daddy?’ Mia’s voice cut in.

‘It’s someone who likes to go about naked all the time.’ Malcolm explained, without thinking.

‘But she’s not nudist, daddy.’ Mia pointed out. ‘She does have her underwear on.’

‘Details details. Gracie, give me that dress and stand still a moment.’

Dani laughed softly. Mia could best him so easily. Sliding out of bed, Dani pulled on a housecoat and emerged from the bedroom. Gracie spotted her mother and came running over. ‘Mommy! Morning!’ Dani bent down to collect her youngest and pick her up for a hug. 

‘Morning, love.’ Malcolm came over and finally got Gracie’s little dress buttoned up at the back. ‘Had a good lie in?’

‘I did.’ 

‘Morning mommy!’ Mia ran up for her hug as well. ‘Daddy thinks Gracie is a nudist.’

‘I did not say that.’ Malcolm groaned. 

‘Well, Gracie is dressed so she isn’t.’ Dani put an end to the discussion with her simple logic. Mia, her arms crossed, nodded in agreement with her mother. ‘Shouldn’t you be about ready to get going to school?’

‘Almost,’ Mia said. ‘I’ll get my book.’

Malcolm finally got a good morning kiss from Dani, with a hand grab to his nose by Gracie. He got a kiss in on Gracie’s nose too to make her giggle. ‘Tea is ready for you downstairs. You’ll have time for a quiet breakfast while I take our handfuls to their school and daycare.’

‘Play day, daddy.’ Gracie added. 

‘Yes, little lady, it’s a play day for you for sure.’ Malcolm lifted Gracie into his arms from Dani. ‘Let’s get some socks on you now.’

Dani made her way to the kitchen and got a cup of tea. Sitting there she watched the rest of the family getting ready for the day. With last hugs from both girls, Malcolm hustled them out of the house. In the quiet house, Dani had some breakfast and got ready for her appointment later that morning. She was standing, naked, in front of the full length mirror in their bedroom. It was familiar feelings and looks from what she had experienced in the past. 

A soft whistle came from the door. Dani turned to see Malcolm standing there, a look of admiration on his face. ‘Looking good, love.’

‘I’m definitely showing now, aren’t I?’

‘Standing there naked, you sure are.’ He came over to stand behind her, looking at her reflection. ‘More beautiful than ever.’

‘I’m heavier, my breasts are certainly bigger, I have stretch marks.. So very beautiful.’

‘Knowing that you’re carrying our child inside,’ His large hands rested lightly on her bulging stomach. ‘Makes you the most beautiful woman in the world.’ He kissed her neck softly. ‘Don’t ever doubt that, Dani.’

‘And when I’ve had the child and all of this becomes sagging and flabby?’

Malcolm smiled. ‘With three kids to look after, you’ll be in shape in no time. But,’ Malcolm ran his hands over her skin till they cupped her larger breasts. ‘You will always be beautiful to me. No matter what.’ His lips on her neck began to nibble her lightly.

‘Malcolm, stop…’ Dani tried to get his hands to stop massaging her breasts lightly. 

‘No kids to interrupt.’ Malcolm murmured in her ear. 

‘I’m almost 5 months, Malcolm!’

‘And I am a very careful lover.’ Malcolm began to nibble one of her ear lobes. ‘And you are so very beautiful. I can’t help myself wanting you.’

An hour later, Dani stretched in bed. ‘We better get going, Malcolm.’

‘Hmm? I suppose so. I’ll go start the shower. Join me in a minute.’ Malcolm, naked himself now, got up and sauntered to the shower. Dani watched him, smiling. He was a gentle lover indeed, she thought to herself. Slowly, and for the third time that day, she got out of bed this time to stay. Malcolm was teasing and playful in the shower and Dani was more than happy to let him. It was taking her mind off the appointment.

‘Hustle your butt, time, love.’ Malcolm told her. ‘Don’t want to be late for this appointment.’

‘You are just hoping to find out what sex the baby is.’ 

‘Of course.’ Malcolm beamed. ‘Not that I have a say in it but I would like to know.’ He grinned at her. ‘Hoping it’ll be a boy.’

‘What? Don’t want another girl around the house?’

‘Don’t get me wrong, love. If it’s a girl I’ll love her just the same but a bit more man about the house would be nice. We’d still be outnumbered by you ladies.’

‘I think you like being outnumbered by us ladies.’

‘I do. I do very much.’ Malcolm agreed. ‘Now, move that lady butt of yours. I’m dying to know what we can expect.’

Dani was soon in the ultrasound room, the technician came in and lowered the lights. Malcolm was on the other side of the bed to hold Dani’s hand. 

‘Oh!’ She gasped at the cold jelly as it was squirted onto her lower abdomen.

‘Sorry, no way to warm it up beforehand.’ 

‘I’m fine.’ Dani assured him, her hand squeezing Malcolm’s. ‘We’ll be able to see too?’

‘Of course,’ The technician turned the monitor slightly until they could both see it. ‘I’ll be recording it too. Get you a photo if you want.’

‘That would be lovely.’ Dani said and just lay there in slight discomfort as the ultrasound was performed. 

‘Come on little one, move for us.’ The technician was trying to encourage the baby to shift in Dani’s womb. ‘Baby is being shy today.’

Malcolm had been watching the monitor closely. ‘Those are his feet right?’ 

‘Yes, and there’s baby’s little hands. Looks like baby is sucking on their thumb.’

‘He looks like a boy.’ Malcolm said, seeing what he wanted to.

‘Babies at this age aren’t very gender specific. Only guaranteed way to tell is to get a peek between the legs. By this age the genitals are formed enough to tell the difference.’ The technician was used to explaining the process to fathers. ‘But that depends on baby letting us have a look and your baby is being quite shy.’

‘Not at all like the rest of the family then.’ Dani laughed. 

The technician laughed and tried to move the ultrasound around to catch a glimpse of the baby’s sex but wasn’t successful. ‘Not today I think. We’ll try again next time. I’ll send the results on to your doctor but everything I see is normal for both baby and you, Dani. I’m going to recommend a follow up in a month. The usual cautions still stand.’

‘Thanks,’ Dani took the offered towel from the technician to start cleaning off the gel. With the technician out of the room, Malcolm helped clean her off and Dani got her clothes arranged properly once more. ‘Disappointed?’

‘Would have been nice to know but knowing that the little one and you are both healthy is all I need.’ Malcolm smiled at her. ‘You up for lunch now?’

‘I am. Let’s go.’


	5. Chapter 5

‘Mommy?’ Gracie followed Dani into the kitchen, one of her Paddington bears in her grip. ‘What doing?’

‘Mommy is hungry, Gracie. I want to get something to eat.’

‘Dinner soon.’ Gracie told her. 

‘I know dinner will be soon, Gracie, but mommy is hungry now.’ Dani was focussed on getting something to eat to feed her cravings.

‘No treats, daddy says.’ Gracie reached up to hold Dani’s hand.

‘I’ll talk to daddy.’ 

‘Up, mommy?’ Gracie stood on her tiptoes.

‘Okay, come up.’ Dani reached down and lifted Gracie up so she could sit on the counter top. ‘Mia will be home with daddy soon. You’ll get dinner then.’

‘You eat dinner with us?’

‘Oh, I’ll be hungry then too I think.’ Dani smiled and opened up the cupboard. Her eyes spotted the jar of Nutella that was normally only eaten by Mia. Setting it on the counter, Dani then spotted the box of whole wheat crackers. Nodding, she got them down as well. ‘Be still, Gracie.’ 

She stepped away to the other cupboard, got a plate and a spreading knife out and stood beside Gracie again. ‘Oh. Wait. One more thing.’ She reached across Gracie and grabbed a banana. 

‘Nana!’ Gracie smiled at the sight. ‘Nana for me?’

‘You want some banana? You shouldn’t you know.’

‘Mommy get nana. Nana for me too.’ Gracie held out a hand.

‘Okay, some banana for you too.’ Dani laid out some of the crackers onto the plate. After smearing dollops of Nutella on the crackers, Dani began to slice up the banana. ‘Here you go, Gracie.’ She picked up a slice of banana with small streaks of Nutella on it and handed it to Gracie.

‘Yum!’ Gracie took hold of it carefully and took a bite. ‘Nana and choco!’

‘Yes, there’s some of the choco spread on it.’

‘Mi mi’s choco spread.’ Gracie knew it was Mia’s favourite. She looked at the other half of the banana and began to lick off the Nutella spread. ‘Yum!’

‘Is it going to be your favourite too?’ Dani asked, taking a bite of one of her cracker concoctions. 

‘No. Like oranges.’ Gracie said around a mouthful of a second banana slice. ‘Choco, mommy?’

‘A bit more banana too?’

‘Yeah!’

Dani sliced up a bit more banana and put a little bit of Nutella on them. ‘Here you go.’

Instead of being as careful as she was at first, Gracie took the slice of Nutella covered banana in her hand and gripped it, squishing it slightly. Banana and Nutella mushed through her fingers and the little girl laughed at how it felt. ‘Mommy! Look!’

‘No, Gracie. You’re supposed to eat it, not squish it.’ 

‘Yum yum, mommy!’ Gracie held it out for her mother to see the squashed mess. Before Dani could get something to clean her hands off, Gracie began to lick her hand clean. Bits of banana and Nutella spread over her lips and chin. ‘More? Please?’ She held out both hands, one clean and the other messy.

‘Oh dear.’ Dani just gave up in defeat and handed her daughter another slice of banana with some Nutella on it. As Gracie squished and mushed her way through another slice, Dani was content to watch as she ate her own snack. 

‘Drink, mommy?’

‘Would you like some juice?’

‘Yeah!’ 

Dani was in the fridge, getting a juice for Gracie when Mia and Malcolm arrived home. 

‘Gracie! How’d you get up there?’ Mia had come right into the kitchen with Malcolm close behind. She was carrying a shopping bag.

‘Nana and choco, Mi mi!’ Gracie held out her hand with her last slice of banana in it.

Dani stood up and looked at Mia and Malcolm. Surprise and shock on her face. ‘Malcolm… I .. uh.. Can explain..’

Malcolm just began to laugh. ‘You look like a kid who’s been caught with their hand in the cookie jar!’

‘Is that my Nutella?’ Mia had gone over to the counter where Gracie sat. ‘Mommy! Were you eating my Nutella?’

‘I was hungry.’ Dani looked sheepish.

‘Now, Mia, just because the Nutella is your favourite doesn’t mean it’s just for you.’ Malcolm ruffled his daughter’s hair. ‘Can you get me a washcloth from the bathroom, lass? Your sister is getting all messy here.’

‘Here, I’ll help.’ Dani set the juice on the counter by Gracie and turned to get some paper towels. In that moment, Gracie made a grab for the juice. Her hands were messy from the banana and she couldn’t grip the plastic cup well enough. Dani hadn’t been able to put a lid on the cup yet so it went flying onto the floor. Juice sprayed over Dani and Mia. Gracie began to clap her hands together, laughing at the scene before her. Malcolm, spared the juice shower, just leaned against the counter laughing almost to the point of tears. 

‘Daddy! My dress is dirty now!’ Mia wailed.

‘Oh, lass. I’ll get it washed right away.’ Malcolm reassured her. Gracie, not content to wait for a washcloth began to wipe her messy hands on her shirt leaving streaks of banana and chocolate on it. ‘More laundry than just your dress, lass.’

‘I’ve really done it, haven’t I?’ Dani, drops of fruit juice all over her top. 

‘You have, love. Nothing we can’t clean up. Mia? Go upstairs with your mom and get yourselves cleaned and changed. I’ll clean up here.’ The two left the kitchen with Mia still protesting that they ate her Nutella.

‘More, daddy?’ Gracie looked at him innocently.

‘No, no more, little lady. Dinner soon.’ Malcolm took some paper towels and began to wipe the little girl’s face clean. ‘You like the banana and Nutella?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Next time maybe we’ll make some for both you and Mia. Then you can learn how to eat it more cleanly.’ Malcolm was wiping off Gracie’s little fingers. ‘Sound like a plan?’

‘Next time! Yum yum!’ Gracie reached up and laid her hands on his cheeks, leaning forward to kiss him. ‘All clean, daddy!’

‘You are for now. Except for your shirt. Let’s go get you changed.’


	6. Chapter 6

‘Dani?’ Malcolm slid into bed beside her a week later. 

‘What, Malcolm?’

‘Mia is noticing you’re growing tummy.’

‘What do you mean?’ Dani asked.

‘She just made a comment on the way home from school today about how much more there is of you to hug.’ 

‘Guess that means we should tell them.’

‘Probably. Would have been easier to tell them if it were going to be a boy or a girl.’ Malcolm sat up in bed, hands linked behind his head. ‘Two more weeks before the next ultrasound. Can’t get away with it till then, can we?’

‘No. How are we going to tell them?’

‘Gracie may take some doing to understand but Mia, she’ll get it. Remember, a year ago when that one friend of hers had a baby sister born.’

‘How can I forget? Every morning and night was 20 questions about babies and pregnancies.’

‘I tell you what I see in her future.’ Malcolm grinned at Dani. ‘She’s going to have a big family of her own.’

‘That’s going to make you a grandfather of lots of little ones then.’ Dani teased back at him.

‘I won’t mind that. Not one bit.’ Malcolm turned to her. ‘First, though.’ He rested his hand on the baby in her womb. ‘I want to raise this little one along with Mia and Gracie.’

‘How are we going to tell them?’

‘I’ve been thinking about that, love.’ Malcolm laid out his ideas, Dani laughed and they agreed to the plan.


	7. Chapter 7

Sunday morning. Sleep in day for Malcolm and Dani. Mia woke up and slipped her feet into her slippers. As quietly as a 6 and a half year old could, she left her room and went into Gracie’s bedroom. ‘Gracie? You awake?’

‘Mia?’ Gracie sat up rubbing her eyes. 

‘Toons time, Gracie. Getting up now?’

‘Toons time.’ Gracie slid out of her bed, Mia helped her into her slippers on the right feet.

‘Get some juice and cereal and watch toons.’ Mia took hold of Gracie’s hand and helped her down the stairs. 

‘We watch puppy toons?’ Gracie asked.

‘Let’s see what’s on.’ Mia helped Gracie into the big beanbag chair and took hold of the remote. She sat on the edge of the beanbag chair and made Gracie laugh as it shifted. ‘We got Thomas the Tank on and we have Peppa Pig. No puppies on.’

‘Peppa pig!’

‘Peppa pig then.’ Mia carefully changed the channel. ‘Be good while I get breakfast.’

Mia went to the kitchen, leaving Gracie to watch the toon on television. She carefully got them each a cup of juice. She didn’t really need a lid on her cup anymore but Mia liked to use it still to be the same as Gracie. If she didn’t use a lid Gracie would ask to not have a lid too and that gets messy still. She brought the juice into the front room. ‘Here you go, Gracie.’

‘Thanks, Mi mi.’ Gracie took hold of her juice with both hands.

‘I’ll get the cereal.’ Mia went back to the kitchen.

Gracie, not wanting to sit on her own, got up from the beanbag chair leaving her cup on it, the lid keeping it from spilling the juice. As she followed Mia into the kitchen she watched her older sister get out their bowls and the box of cereal. 

Mia poured cereal into their bowls carefully. As it spilled into the bowls a large foil wrapped ball fell out onto the cereal. ‘What’s this?’ 

Gracie stood on her tiptoes to watch. ‘Shiny ball.’ She grabbed for it and it went rolling off the counter onto the floor. ‘Oops.’

‘That shouldn’t be in our cereal, Gracie.’ Mia hopped down from her step stool and went after the ball. Gracie got to it first and threw it on the floor to watch it roll away from her sister. ‘No, Gracie. I don’t think it’s to play with. Not from a box of cereal.’

‘Okay.’

Mia, foil ball in hand, sat on the floor beside her sister. ‘Look, Gracie, it’s just wrapped up loosely.’ She began to pick it apart. As the layers came free, Mia got more and more curious. ‘Gracie! Look! In the center is a note!’

‘What it say?’ Gracie looked over her sister’s shoulder. She couldn’t read well herself but she loved being read to. ‘Is it a story?’

‘No, not a story.’ Mia unfolded the note and, with a finger tracing under the words, she spoke them aloud. ‘Mommy and daddy are proud to announce..’

‘What’s ‘nounce?’ Gracie didn’t understand the word.

‘It’s like telling something to people that’s important.’ Mia tried to explain. She continued to read. ‘... proud to announce that Mia and Gracie…’

‘That’s you and me!’ Gracie beamed with understanding.

‘It is!’ Again, Mia started to read aloud. ‘.. Mia and Gracie are going to be big sisters to a new baby.’

‘You my big sister.’ Gracie looked a little confused but Mia was staring at the note before she started to clap happily.

‘You’re going to be a big sister too!’ Mia got up on her feet and grabbed Gracie’s hands, dancing about with her. ‘Mommy’s going to have a baby!’

‘A baby?’

‘A baby! Like you but smaller.’

‘Not a baby.’ Gracie pouted. 

‘No, you’re not a baby, Gracie. But you were. Let’s go see mommy!’ 

‘Mommy sleeping.’ Gracie said. ‘Toon day, ‘member?’

‘This is big!’ Mia countered her little sister. ‘Come on.’ With Gracie’s hand in hers, Mia headed up the stairs as fast as Gracie’s little legs would let them go. Being Sunday, it was the one day of the week that their parents’ closed their bedroom door to cut down the noise of the girls watching tv on their own. 

Knocking loudly on the door, Mia just burst in with Gracie behind her. ‘Mommy! Mommy!’ She easily scrambled up onto the bed and began bouncing up and down on it. Both parents had no choice but to wake up in shock.

‘Lass! Careful. No jumping about!’ Malcolm warned Mia who immediately settled down to sit beside her mother, hugging her. Gracie, upset that she couldn’t easily get up onto the large bed on her own had gone over to Malcolm’s side of the bed, hands outstretched to get Malcolm’s attention. ‘Up you get, little lady.’ He reached over and hoisted her up onto the bed. Gracie was content to sit herself down on Malcolm’s lap. When his hand went round her middle to hold her she melted back against him. 

‘When do we meet the new baby?’ Mia asked.

Dani smiled. ‘It’ll be a few more months yet. Maybe around Christmas.’

‘Can we hear the baby?’ Mia laid her hands on Dani’s growing belly.

‘Oh, there’s not much to hear yet.’

‘Is baby moving?’ 

‘A little bit sometimes.’

‘I don’t want new baby.’ Gracie announced. 

‘You don’t want to be a big sister?’ Malcolm asked.

‘No.’ Gracie suddenly popped her thumb in her mouth to suck on it.

‘You want to be the only baby?’ Malcolm eased her thumb away from her mouth. 

‘Yeah. I’m the baby.’ 

‘You’re not a baby now, Gracie. You’re my precious Gracie and you’re growing up to be as precious and smart as Mia.’

‘No.’ Gracie smacked Malcolm’s arm with her hands. 

‘Don’t hit,’ Dani warned her youngest. ‘You’re not a baby, Gracie. You’re going to be a big sister soon.’

‘Mia’s big sister.’ Gracie reasoned.

‘Don’t you want to be like Mia and be a big sister too?’ 

‘We be big sisters both?’ Gracie asked, trying to understand.

‘Of course you can.’ Dani said. ‘You’ve liked having Mia as a big sister right?’ Gracie nodded emphatically. ‘Then think how much our new baby will like having two big sisters.’

Gracie still pouted, not convinced yet. Mia got up and sat down beside Gracie on Malcolm’s lap. Malcolm grunted at the weight of both girls on his thighs. 

‘Don’t worry, Gracie. You’ll always be my little sister. Forever and ever.’ Mia put her arm around Gracie to hug the youngster. ‘I love you this much.’

Gracie put her arms around Mia, hugging her back. ‘My big sister.’

Malcolm tacitly changed the subject for the moment. ‘Guess you girls didn’t get your cereal?’

‘No!’ Gracie was first to answer.

‘How about pancakes then?’

‘Yeah! Pancakes!’ Gracie clapped her hands happily. ‘Happy face pancakes!’

‘I think I’ve got some chocolate chips we can make faces with.’ Malcolm helped Gracie to the floor as Mia hopped off the bed.

‘Come on, mommy! I’ll help you.’ Mia was quick to take her mother’s hand to walk with her down the stairs. Dani was only able to get a quick glance over to Malcolm. He nodded reassuringly to her.


	8. Chapter 8

Two weeks later, Dani was scheduled to return for another ultrasound the next day so she had booked the day off. Instead, she was relaxing on the couch watching television. Malcolm insisted she rest more the later she got into the pregnancy. Gracie was on the floor playing with one of her Paddington bears and Mia was on the couch with her. 

‘I can hear the baby’s heartbeat, mommy.’ Mia had lain so that she could rest her head on Dani’s belly. 

‘No, Mia. That’s not the baby’s heartbeat. It’s mine.’

‘Is the baby’s heart not working?’

‘No, it’s working. My heart beats louder though.’

‘I can’t wait to meet my new little sister.’ Mia said, her hands holding Dani’s tummy gently as if it were the baby.

‘We don’t know yet if it’s a girl or boy.’

‘I want a little sister.’

Malcolm came into the front room once dinner was in the oven to cook. ‘What if I want a little boy?’

‘No! No little boys!’ Mia scowled which made Malcolm chuckle.

‘What’s wrong with a little boy?’ Malcolm asked. ‘I’m a big boy.’

‘You’re different. You’re our daddy.’ 

Dani laughed. ‘Having a little brother wouldn’t be that bad.’

‘I don’t know, mommy. The boys at school are dumb.’ 

‘That’s because they’re other boys. If you have a baby brother he’ll be different from them. He’ll be like me.’

‘Or he could be like me.’ Dani added.

‘A boy be like mommy?’ Mia frowned.

‘Not exactly like mommy. But smart and funny and lovable.’ Malcolm added. ‘Like you too. You’re smart, funny and lovable.’

‘Oh. Like that.’

‘Yes, like that.’ Malcolm ruffled Mia’s hair. 

‘That’s okay then.’ Mia nodded.


	9. Chapter 9

‘Congratulations, Dani, Malcolm.’ The ultrasound technician smiled and pointed out to them on the monitor the evidence of the sex of their child. ‘You’ve got a little boy on the way.’

Malcolm grinned, his hand squeezing Dani’s tightly. ‘A little boy, love.’

‘And a healthy one at that.’ Dani winced as the baby decided to kick at that moment. ‘Is it likely that this baby will be much like Gracie? She was quite active too.’

‘Hard to say. Each baby is different even at this age. Certainly not shy anymore.’

The baby had turned in the womb after it had kicked, displaying for all to see that he was indeed a little boy.

‘We won’t be using that as the announcement image.’ Malcolm chuckled. 

Later that day, back home and waiting on dinner, Dani was upstairs with the girls in Gracie’s room. Gracie was sitting on Dani’s lap to do some colouring with her mother’s help. ‘Want some purple now?’

‘Yeah, purple.’ Gracie held out her little hand and Dani gave her a purple marker. 

‘Mommy, it’s appointment time!’ Mia came over wearing one of Malcolm’s white shirts that hung down to her ankles. She had a toy stethoscope around her neck. ‘Have to check up on the baby.’

‘You going to check and see if it’s a boy or a girl?’ Dani asked, knowing it was a boy but they hadn’t told the girls yet. 

‘Yeah.’ Mia bent over with her stethoscope to press the plastic against Dani’s growing belly. ‘Two heartbeats.’

‘Both strong?’ Dani asked her ‘doctor’ daughter.

‘Mmmhmm. Very.’ Mia nodded.

‘Mommy, green please?’ Gracie asked and Dani handed her a green marker, putting the purple back in the pile. 

‘Gracie, have a listen.’ Mia handed her sister the ends of the stethoscope. Gracie put down her marker and held the ends. ‘Hear the heartbeats?’

‘Uh huh.’ Gracie nodded. 

‘Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?’ Dani asked Gracie.  
‘Girl. Like me.’ Gracie said.

‘Let me listen again.’ Mia took the stethoscope back and listened carefully. ‘I think it’s going to be a boy. It’s a strong heartbeat.’

‘Do you want a baby brother?’ Dani asked.

‘Yeah.’ Mia said, smiling. Her hands laid on Dani’s tummy. The baby kicked. ‘Oh! That’s a boy!’

‘You think so?’ Dani smiled. ‘Ow. There he goes again.’

‘Is he hurting you, mommy?’ Mia was worried now.

‘Mommy hurt?’ Gracie’s attention was drawn by the tone of Mia’s voice.

‘Just startled, that’s all.’ Dani rested her hands on her belly. ‘Harder to have such a big boy in my belly.’

Gracie suddenly decided she wanted to sit on Dani’s lap. ‘Mommy, no boys.’

‘Mia says it’s a boy. I think it’s going to be a boy. Daddy wants a boy. Why don’t you want a baby brother?’

‘Boys are scary.’ Gracie said. ‘They get loud.’

‘Boys at school are always loud.’ Mia agreed. ‘Loud and smelly. They always get dirty.’

‘Well, with a baby brother you can make sure he grows up to be a much better boy than those at school.’ 

‘We can do that?’ Gracie asked.

‘We can,’ Mia said. ‘I helped you be a good girl like me.’

‘You did,’ Dani agreed. ‘Between you and Mia helping he’ll be the best little boy ever.’

‘Like daddy?’

‘Better than daddy!’ Mia declared.

‘No one better than daddy.’ Gracie countered.

‘No, no one is better than daddy.’ Dani agreed, smiling.

‘Ladies! Dinner time!’ Malcolm called up to them.

‘See? He makes us dinner.’ Dani pointed out. ‘Come on, girls.’


	10. Chapter 10

Malcolm came up the stairs, two cups of tea in his hands. He avoided the one side of the second topmost stair that creaked. Last thing he wanted was to have either of the girls wake up. It had been one of those evenings that the girls had been wound up and took a while to settle into their beds to sleep. ‘Hey, sexy woman.’ Malcolm entered the bedroom, closing it most of the way. 

‘I don’t feel sexy,’ Dani said taking one of the cups of tea from him and sipping it. 

He set his cup down on the bedside table and crawled into bed beside her. ‘Sexier than ever in my eyes.’

‘You are just a flirt.’ Dani teased back.

‘You love every minute of it.’ Malcolm leaned close and kissed her neck, nibbling lightly and making Dani laugh softly. 

‘Love that too.’ She purred softly.

‘I know what else you love.’ Malcolm slipped his hand down under the covers to stroke the outside of her thigh lightly.

Dani almost spilled her tea. ‘Malcolm. Behave.’

‘Behaving is for when the girls are awake.’ Malcolm went back to kissing her.

‘Your tea will get cold.’ She tried to distract him.

‘It will.’ Malcolm agreed and only began to move his hand up and down her leg a bit more. His lips made their way up towards her ear.

‘Malcolm…’ Dani was finding it hard to resist. ‘I’m close to 6 months.’

‘And what a sexy six months you are.’ Malcolm finally moved his hand from her leg to gently stroke her extended belly through her nightshirt. Dani couldn’t stand wearing pyjama bottoms anymore. They were too restricting around her waist. 

‘Don’t even think about anything.’ Dani groaned at his touch.   
‘Can’t help it, love. I think about you so much.’ Malcolm edged closer, his passion evident. 

‘I just don’t have the urge, Malcolm.’ Dani sighed. ‘I ache all over.’

‘I want to help you feel better, Dani. That’s all.’ Malcolm sat up more, his hands resting on her shoulders, massaging them gently. ‘You’re too tense, love.’ 

‘Feeling guilty about taking so much time off work.’

‘Don’t be. You know Brian’s good with it and Daniel’s loving the chance to show he’s capable of filling in for you.’ Malcolm continued to massage her shoulders until he felt some of her tension dissipate. ‘There you go, relax, love.’

‘Those hands of yours,’ Dani sighed happily as one by one the knots in her shoulders were eased by his fingers. 

Malcolm kissed the back of her neck, still working on her shoulders. ‘Did you tell the girls the results today?’

‘Not in a direct way. It just came up.’ Dani took hold of Malcolm’s hands and guided them down to her belly. He took the hint and slowly massaged her. ‘You’re not mad?’

‘Course not, love. Why would I be mad?’

‘We talked about how we would tell the girls together.’

‘Did they take it well?’

‘Mia is still thrilled. She’s looking forward to helping out the way she helped with Gracie.’

‘And our little terror?’

‘Gracie is not a terror.’ Dani gave him a playful swat on the hand. ‘She’s thinking the boy will be like the boys at her daycare. It’s funny, you know.’ 

‘Mmm? How?’

‘How different Gracie is from Mia on this. Just about everything else that happens to them is all mutual and same outlook.’

‘They can’t always agree on everything. It’ll happen more as they both get older.’ Malcolm sat up and got his tea. It was cooled off but he drank it anyway. He kept one hand gently stroking Dani’s belly. ‘Hey hey! Someone’s waking up.’ He could feel the boy moving in her womb.

‘Perfect timing as we’re about to get to sleep.’ Dani sighed and shifted on the bed as the baby settled into a different position inside her. 

‘Back sore?’

‘A little.’ Dani admitted.

‘Here, let me work on it a bit.’ Malcolm offered and helped Dani onto her side. He began to gently massage her lower back. Malcolm moved on the bed until he was curled up against her, his hands still working the soreness from her lower back. He was still in a semi-aroused state.

‘Oh!’ Dani gasped at the sudden kick of the baby. 

Malcolm slid his hands round to her belly, stroking it as if he could calm their child down to stop him kicking. ‘Looks like no matter what I try to do this little one is going to fight me for your attention.’

‘Babies are like that.’ Dani winced at another kick from the boy.

‘He’s a bit hyper tonight. Maybe he’s just looking for a hug then.’ Malcolm, spooning up against Dani, laid his large hands over her belly and just let them rest there with a slight pressure, warming her a little.

‘Not sure about the baby but I’m quite happy.’ Dani sighed happily. 

‘At least I got that far.’ Malcolm kissed her shoulder. ‘Get some sleep, love. While the lad is quiet.’


	11. Chapter 11

‘A wee bairn.’ Jamie chuckled on the phone. ‘Lucked out there, Malcolm. A roll of the dice away from being surrounded only by women for the rest of your life.’

‘I wouldn’t have complained, Jamie.’ Malcolm laughed. He sat at his desk, quiet for the moment with Mia at school and Gracie having a nap. Dani was working a half day at the bookstore. That was all she was doing most days now. The baby was taking its toll on her as she was getting on into her seventh month.

‘Turn you soft as time goes on. A little boy about the place will give you a chance to be all manly. Maybe even give you a chance to show him how to bollock people properly.’

‘And then I would promptly lose my bollocks to Dani. In a very unhappy way.’ Malcolm laughed with Jamie. ‘So, you going to be able to make it up here over the holidays?’

‘I’ll be there. At least for the week of Christmas. I spoke to Sam. She’s going to travel up with me on the train but she’s going to have an extra week to spend up there after the New Years. I made Fleming grant her the time off. Little prick bastard was going to make her come in once he heard it was you she was taking time off for.’

‘Fleming is such a cunt. Glad I don’t have to work around him anymore.’ 

‘Daddy?’ What cunt?’ Gracie stood there, bear clutched in her arms, hair messed from just waking up.

Jamie howled with laughter on the phone. ‘You are in such shit now, Malcolm.’

‘Jamie, stop that.’ Malcolm scooped up his daughter and sat her on his lap. ‘That’s a word that is used only by me and uncle Jamie. Want to talk to uncle Jamie?’

‘Uncle Jamie?’ Gracie rubbed her eye and then grabbed hold of the phone. ‘Hi, Uncle Jamie!’

‘Hey, Gracie. How are you doing? Staying out of trouble?’

‘I got my bear. See?’ She held up her bear to the phone.

‘Is that your Paddington bear?’

‘Yeah. Bear hugs, Uncle Jamie?’ 

‘Oh, you’ll get big bear hugs from me when I come visit.’

‘Yay! I want bear hugs.’ 

‘I’m going to visit in a few months, for Christmas. What do you want for Christmas, Gracie?’

‘I want candy.’

‘You don’t want a new bear?’ Jamie asked.

‘No. Candy.’ Gracie repeated herself. ‘Daddy want cunt.’

‘Gracie! No. I told you that’s only a word for uncle Jamie and daddy.’

‘What cunt?’ Gracie asked again, wondering what the fuss was.

‘Jamie, I’ll talk to you later. Say bye to uncle Jamie.’

‘Bye bye,’ Gracie waved to the phone.

‘Now,’ Malcolm turned Gracie to face him, letting her stand on his legs so he could look at her directly. ‘You don’t repeat that word, okay?’

‘You said it.’ Gracie reasoned.

‘Mommy won’t like it. You don’t want daddy to get in trouble do you?’

‘Trouble is bad.’ 

‘No saying that word again, okay?’ Malcolm hoped this worked this time.


	12. Chapter 12

Malcolm was in the guest room with a few empty boxes sitting on the floor. 

‘What you doing, daddy?’ Mia came into the room to stand and watch him filling a box with the general items in the room. 

‘Packing things up that won’t be needed in the room now.’

‘Why?’

‘Just full of questions today, aren’t you, lass?’ Malcolm tapped her on the nose lightly. 

‘Teacher said that you can’t know things if you don’t ask questions.’

‘Your teacher is smart then.’ Malcolm set a stack of towels in the box from one of the dresser drawers. ‘I’m packing things up because this is going to be your baby brother’s room once he’s born.’

‘Does he get to pick the colour of his room too?’

‘Not right away, lass. He can’t really tell us what he wants yet. We’ll go with a light blue to start.’

‘Why can’t he get green walls? Wouldn’t green look better?’ 

‘You think your baby brother would like green better?’ Malcolm talked as he emptied the rest of the toiletries they kept in the drawers.

‘Yeah. Much better.’ Mia, tired of standing, went over to the guest bed and sat on the edge almost tipping the second empty box off. ‘Uncle Jamie and Aunt Sam stay in this room.’

‘That’s because it’s been the guest room.’

‘Where they going to stay now?’

‘Well, when they visit if there’s only one of them here then you’ll get to play sleepover with Gracie in her room. If they both visit then one will get your room and the other can sleep in the living room.’

‘What if Aunt Sam stays over couldn’t I sleep in my room with her?’

‘When guests stay over they get their choice and we treat them well. Would you expect to sleep in the same bed as Sam if you were staying over at her place?’

Mia thought for a long moment. ‘Guess not.’ Again, she sat and thought a bit. ‘Maybe we could just not have a baby brother.’

Malcolm stopped packing and looked at Mia. ‘Lass, there’s no turning back now. Your baby brother is going to be here in less than two months.’

‘Oh.’ Mia sat quietly and watched as Malcolm went back to packing. She picked up her train of thought again. ‘What if Gracie doesn’t want me to stay over with her?’

Malcolm paused to ruffle her hair, making his daughter smile. ‘Tell you what, we’ll let Sam have your bed when she visits and when she’s here you can ask her if you could stay too. If she says yes, fine. If not, then that’s a no.’

‘Okay, daddy. Is Aunt Sam coming over for Christmas too?’

‘Yes, she’s coming over for Christmas. So is Uncle Jamie. They both want to see your baby brother when he gets here.’

‘Can I make them cards for Christmas?’

‘Of course you can, lass. They’d love to get a card from you. Maybe you can help Gracie make cards for them too.’

‘I sure can,’ Mia beamed. ‘Gracie likes to make cards.’ 

‘She does indeed. So, you think we should make your baby brother’s room green?’

‘Yeah. A nice green. Not that bright green. Bright green is too bright.’

‘It is. Need you to get off the bed, lass. Have to take the sheets off.’  
‘Where you going to put the bed?’

‘It’s going to go in the attic for awhile. When you baby brother is old enough, he’ll get it for himself.’

‘First he gets a crib!’ Mia jumped off the bed. ‘I remember Gracie in her crib. Will I be able to help with my baby brother too?’

‘Of course you will, lass. Why do you think you wouldn’t be able to?’

‘Well, he is a boy.’ She rolled her eyes.

Malcolm laughed. ‘Just because he’s a boy you’ll still be the big sister. Just like you were with Gracie.’ Malcolm finished packing up the bedding. ‘There, that’s done. Why don’t you go see what Gracie is up to, lass? I’ve got dinner to go make and mommy will be home soon.’

‘Okay!’ Mia was off like a shot.

Malcolm just shook his head and set the full boxes into the corner. He’d talk to Dani about painting the room green rather than blue.


	13. Chapter 13

Dani was now seven and a half months along. Her belly was close to fully extended with her baby boy. At her last appointment the baby’s weight was at 1100g and 14 inches. ‘He’s going to be a big one.’ The doctor had told her. It certainly felt that way for her. Her back was constantly sore from the weight of the baby. Just getting out of bed needed Malcolm’s help now. 

She sat on the edge of the bed trying to work the kinks out of her back from her restless night. 

‘Why don’t you just take the day off, love?’ Malcolm sat beside her, his hands gently massaging her lower back. 

‘There’s still a few things I want to get organized before I go on maternity leave.’ 

‘And everytime you go into the store you get a little bit done on that organization before you get asked to help out with something else that takes up your time until you come home exhausted.’   
‘I promise, Malcolm. I won’t overdo it.’

‘I think you already are.’ 

Dani laid a hand on his cheek. ‘You are biased.’

‘For very good reasons.’ Malcolm said, his hand resting on hers a moment. ‘You’re the manager. Get Daniel to do more around the store. He’s the assistant manager.’

‘I was talking to Brian about promoting Daniel to be co-manager at least for while I’m on maternity leave.’

‘I like that idea. A lot. Let the young punk earn his keep.’ 

‘Oh, Malcolm. He’s not a young punk.’

‘He is. A haircut like that is punk.’ Malcolm chuckled. ‘I’m teasing, love. I’m teasing.’ He hugged her gently, enjoying it when she rested her head against his shoulder. ‘This time around you’re taking everything so much more seriously.’

‘I’m sorry, Malcolm. This baby,’ Her hand rested on her belly. ‘Is just taking more out of me. Gracie was so much easier.’

‘Gracie was a lot smaller too.’ Malcolm reminded her. ‘Stay home, Dani.’

‘No, Malcolm. I’ll be fine.’ 

‘You’re more stubborn than me.’

‘Isn’t that why we get along so well together?’ Dani teased him back. Malcolm just grunted and went back to massaging her back. ‘That feels good right there.’

‘Stay home, Dani. I’ll call the school and keep Mia home for the day and we can all work on the baby’s room together.’ Malcolm’s tone was soft and pleading.

‘Don’t do that, Malcolm.’ Dani groaned a little. 

‘I try, love.’ Malcolm kissed her neck. ‘No changing your mind?’

‘No. Going into work is going to happen. I have to make sure it’s all set for when I do have the baby.’

The sound of Mia’s feet thumping on the floor as she slid out of her bed signalled the end of their brief quiet time together. ‘Take your time, love. I’ll go start the morning coffee and breakfast.’

The morning routine had Dani off to work while Malcolm walked Mia to the school. After dropping Mia off, Malcolm got on the bus with Gracie to go to the local shops to pick up the last few things he needed to get the painting done in the baby’s room. 

Gracie was full of energy that morning and Malcolm had his hands full between juggling paint brushes, painter’s tape and the little girl. ‘Gracie, no. Put that down.’ Malcolm caught her before she picked up a package of lightbulbs. ‘Why don’t you help daddy?’

‘I can help.’

‘Here, can you carry this for daddy?’ He handed her the roll of painter’s tape. ‘Make sure you don’t drop it, little lady.’ 

‘I won’t, daddy.’ Gracie held the tape carefully with both hands. 

At the paint mixing station, Malcolm was talking to the staff member about the paint colour and making sure he was getting the right paint when Gracie squatted to very carefully place the roll of tape on the floor. Daddy had told her to not drop it, she reasoned placing it on the floor was fine. There was a display of paint colour strips just beside where they were standing. The colours caught Gracie’s attention and she walked over to the display. She reached up and found that the paint colour strips were small and easy to grab. 

First Gracie pulled out a number of strips that were shades of pinks and reds. As if she were at home with her colouring, Gracie began to lay them out in patterns. It wasn’t until she decided to start adding the strips with shades of blue on them that Malcolm glanced over and saw what she was doing.

‘Gracie. Those aren’t toys.’ Malcolm apologized to the staff member. ‘I’ll get these put back.’

‘Don’t worry about that, sir. We get refills of them all the time.’ The staff member chuckled at the sight of Malcolm gathering up the colour strips even as Gracie tried to grab them and hold them away from him. 

‘Gracie, you’re being a bad girl.’ Malcolm scolded her as he took hold of her hand to get the rest of the strips from her.

‘Cunt!’ Gracie responded. The staff member’s mouth dropped open.

‘Gracie! I told you never to say that word again!’ Malcolm’s face was first a classic scowl at her and then he went red with embarrassment. He was a bit more forceful taking the last of the colour strips from Gracie’s hands, making the little girl crinkle her eyes on the verge of crying. Malcolm, accepting the fact that he was stuck now with a bunch of useless colour strips, stuffed them into his pockets for now. Gracie was starting to cry, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. Malcolm scooped the girl up into his arms. She wasn’t going to make a fuss, he knew that, but she would soon have her face flushed and wet from her silent crying and then her nose would start to run. ‘I’m really sorry about that,’ Malcolm apologized again. ‘Would it take long to get the paint mixed?’

The staff member just nodded, ‘Won’t be long sir. If you want to, you can head to the front cash. I’ll bring the cans of paint up there for you.’

‘That would be great, thanks.’ Malcolm gathered up the brushes and managed to pick up the tape while still holding Gracie in his arms. He could feel Gracie shaking against him with little hiccups as she cried in his shoulder. ‘Shush, little lady. It’s okay.’

Gracie sniffed, her nose already starting to run, ‘Daddy..’ sniffle .. ‘Mad..’ sniffle. 

‘Yes, daddy was mad. You used a word I told you not to.’ He jostled her gently in his arms. ‘You need to listen to me, Gracie.’ He looked at her, unable to wipe the tears and snot from her as his hands were full. 

‘I’m sorry,’ Another wet sniffle. ‘Daddy.’ Gracie gripped her hands into his jacket and rubbed her face on his shoulder wiping her snot and tears on Malcolm’s jacket. 

Escaping the store, Malcolm sat Gracie on a bench as they waited for a cab. He wasn’t going to try and manage Gracie, still teary-eyed, and the paint supplies on the bus. He was finally able to get a tissue out of his jacket pocket and began to work on cleaning up Gracie’s face. ‘Messy girl. Blow your nose.’ Gracie attempted to blow her nose into the tissue. ‘No more use of that word, little lady.’

‘Yes, daddy.’ She sniffled again and earned another wipe of the tissue on her face. 

‘Good.’ He smiled at her, his anger already gone. He couldn’t stay mad at his daughter. Not her or Mia. 

Malcolm was sitting on the couch when Dani got home just after lunchtime. There were still a few hours before he would have to go and pick up Mia from school. 

‘You look worse than I do, Malcolm.’ Dani hung up her jacket and sat down on the couch beside him. ‘What happened.’

‘Just a bit of a rough shopping trip with Gracie today. Was picking up the paint for the baby’s room when Gracie found the paint samples.’ Malcolm reached into his pocket and pulled out the offending strips. Dani took them from him, trying to not smile. ‘She didn’t quite get the whole rainbow but she had enough of them on the floor. I scowled at her a bit too harshly and it set her off crying.’

‘And a crying Gracie is a messy nose Gracie.’

‘It was a very messy nose. My brown jacket is going to have to go to the cleaners.’ Malcolm sighed and draped his arm around Dani. ‘Wound up just getting home and Gracie laid down for a nap and I did the same.’

‘So much for the plan to get started on the painting then?’ Dani asked and Malcolm nodded. ‘Not to worry, Malcolm. We’ll get it done. Between all of us we should be able to get it done this weekend. Where is our little princess now?’

‘Left her upstairs playing dolls. I think she’s keeping her head down around me for a bit.’

‘She’ll come round. You did it right if it was just a scowl.’ Dani squeezed his knee. ‘Did you have lunch yet?’

‘No, I just gave Gracie a bit to eat when we woke up an hour ago.’

‘Then how about I go and make us some lunch while our darling is upstairs.’

‘I’m surprised she hasn’t come running down here.’ Malcolm glanced upwards. They fell silent and then they could hear the muffled sounds of the girl playing with her dolls. ‘She’s in the middle of a tea party with her Paddingtons. She won’t budge till tea is over.’

Dani laughed softly. ‘Very true. Lunch then for us.’


	14. Chapter 14

‘Mia! Gracie!’ Malcolm called up the stairs. ‘Get your rough clothes on, we’re going to get started soon.’ He waited until he could hear the girls respond with yes’s.

Dani levered herself up from her seat at the kitchen table. ‘What can I help you carry upstairs, Malcolm.’

‘You get to carry the tape.’ Malcolm handed her the single roll of painters tape. 

‘I can take more than that, silly man.’

‘I have everything else. Go.’ Malcolm waved towards the stairs.

Dani could only shrug in defeat. With just the roll of tape in her hands, she made her way slowly up the stairs. The girls were already in the empty room, waiting for the parents, Mia was chasing Gracie around the open space making the little girl giggle non-stop. ‘Gracie, are you sure you want to wear that shirt to do painting in?’

Gracie stopped running, thumping onto the floor on her bottom breathless for a moment. ‘Yeah. Best shirt.’ She looked down at her pink shirt with a little princess on it. ‘My princess.’ 

‘That’s your favourite shirt, though.’

‘I helped her put it on.’ Mia declared. ‘She chose it specially. I told her we have to do things right for our baby brother.’

Malcolm appeared with the cans of paint, paint brushes and stir sticks in hand, a large bundle of old papers under his arm. ‘Mia, go help Gracie change into that grey shirt she uses when she’s painting.’

‘Okay, daddy.’ Mia lead Gracie out of the room. 

‘Now,’ Malcolm took the roll of tape from Dani and set it on top of one of the cans. ‘Stay right there.’ He disappeared for a minute, ran downstairs again and came back in with one of the chairs from the kitchen. ‘This is what you’re doing.’

‘Malcolm?’

‘Sit and stay sitting.’

‘I can help, Malcolm.’

‘Every work team needs a supervisor. You’re supervising.’ Malcolm smiled at her. ‘Especially the girls.’

‘I can argue this, Malcolm.’ Dani made to get up but Malcolm rested his hands on her shoulders to gently stop her. 

‘You can and I will just stop you every time. You..’ His finger wagged threateningly at her. ‘Keep an eye on the girls.’

‘Daddy. Better?’ Gracie returned wearing her older grey shirt that already had paint stains on it. Mia followed along behind.

‘Much better, little lady. Thank you, Mia.’ He picked up the tape. ‘Let’s get started on taping.’

Malcolm soon had his girls helping to hold one end of the tape to cover the baseboards. It took a few tries to get them covered up and one strip had to be redone as Gracie decided it would be more fun to play with the sticky tape rather than get it on the baseboard. Dani diverted Gracie to come and play with her with the sticky bundle of tape and left Malcolm to finish the taping with Mia’s more capable help.

‘There we go, taping done.’ Malcolm looked around the room. ‘Let’s start the painting.’ He spread out some of the newspapers and set one of the cans close to the wall. ‘What do you think, girls? Want to finally see what colour your little brother’s room will be?’

‘Yeah!’ Mia knelt on the floor by the paint can while Gracie came over to stand nearby too. 

‘Okay, here we go.’ Malcolm slowly opened the can on the side away from the girls. He peeked into the can and then smiled at his daughters. ‘Ready?’

‘Yes!’ ‘Yeah!’ The girls chorused. 

‘Here we go.’ Malcolm eased the lid off to show the girls the soft green colour he and Dani had picked for the baby’s room.

Gracie clapped happily in delight as Mia ‘ooooohed’. 

‘It’s so pretty!’ Mia declared. 

‘Think your little brother will like it?’ Malcolm.

‘Love it!’ Gracie declared.

‘If he doesn’t then he won’t be my brother!’ Mia stated logically.

Dani laughed, ‘Well, if he doesn’t like it when he’s older we can talk to him about what colour we can redo it with.’

‘I like my purple.’ Mia stated.

‘For now, you do.’ Malcolm teased. ‘Let’s get this going shall we? You’re going to help me paint, girls?’

‘I will!’ Mia said.

‘Me too!’ Gracie held out her hand for a brush. 

‘Now, remember just paint the walls.’

‘Can I do a picture for our brother?’ Mia asked.

‘Like the ones you did back in London?’

‘Yeah!’

‘How about instead of right on the wall, we wait and do one on a proper canvas that we can hang up on the wall.’

‘Aw.’ Mia pouted.

‘Remember what happened when we moved?’ Dani reminded. ‘We had to take pictures to bring them with us.’

‘But painting on the wall is more fun.’ Mia said. 

‘I want to paint.’ Gracie said, holding her brush the wrong way.

‘If we move again then we’ll only be able to do a photo of it.’ Dani reached over and helped Gracie regrip her brush properly.

‘We won’t move.’ Mia stated. ‘Please! I want to paint a picture for our baby brother.’

‘Malcolm?’ Dani asked him.

Malcolm looked at the pleading eyes of Mia, Gracie’s happy smile and Dani’s little shrug of acceptance. ‘Really? You’re leaving this up to me?’

Mia came up to him, taking his hand in hers to tug on him. ‘Please, daddy? I want to do something for our baby brother.’ 

Gracie did the same to his other hand, looking up at him. ‘Please, daddy!’

Malcolm’s heart caved in. ‘Fine, you can do a picture. How about under the window there?’

‘That would be a good spot.’ Dani agreed. ‘How about I help you girls while daddy gets the rest of the room done?’

‘Yay!’ Mia clapped her hands together in glee. ‘Can we use other colours?’

‘Of course you can,’ Dani said.

By the time they were all hungry for lunch, Malcolm only had a bit left to paint on the last wall. Dani had helped the girls paint a scene of the two of them looking over their baby brother in his crib with Dani and Malcolm looking on. They framed it with some brown paint.

‘Fine work, ladies. I’m proud of you.’

‘Daddy is green.’ Gracie giggled at the splatters of pale green paint that had landed on Malcolm’s face. 

‘Daddy is going to go get himself cleaned up.’ Malcolm said. ‘And so should you two young artists.’

‘Then I, as the only unpainted party, will go and make some lunch for us all.’ Dani smiled. ‘You get cleanup duty, Malcolm.’

‘Naturally!’ Malcolm grinned. ‘Come on, ladies. Washroom time.’


	15. Chapter 15

‘Seriously, McNiall? Now?’ Malcolm scowled into the phone. ‘London wants a conference call now? It’s like not even fu…. Um… ’

Dani was sitting at the kitchen table helping Gracie eat without making too much of a mess. Mia was already finished and setting her dishes in the sink. ‘Daddy!’ Mia’s tone was sharper than any Dani would have launched at him.

Malcolm blinked rapidly and reset his thoughts. ‘Fine, can you send me the bridge number and I’ll call in from my office line.’ Malcolm hung up and then ruffled Mia’s hair. ‘Sorry, lass, forgot myself a moment there.’

Mia humphed at him, smacking him on the arm. ‘It’s bad, daddy.’

‘I’ll do better, I promise.’ 

‘Daddy a bad cunt.’ Gracie blurted out. 

‘Gracie!’ Dani’s rebuking tone had an immediate effect and Gracie dropped her spoon in shock to quickly cover her mouth with her hands. ‘Malcolm! You did NOT use that word in your daughter’s presence!’

Malcolm’s face drained of all blood. ‘Dani, look. I had no intention of ever using that around her. I was on the phone with Jamie and I didn’t hear her come in the office.’

‘No, Malcolm. I am NOT going to accept any excuses.’ Dani stood up. ‘Mia, go and finish getting your bag together for school. I’ll take you there today. It sounds like your father is going to be too busy to walk you there anyway. Gracie, you finished your cereal now?’ Gracie just nodded in response. ‘Why don’t you go upstairs and play quietly there? Stay out of your father’s way while he’s on the phone.’

‘Yes, mommy.’

‘Come on, Gracie. I’ll go upstairs with you. I can let you use my markers today if you want.’

‘Yeah.’ 

Malcolm had just stood there, frozen in spot for the moment. ‘Dani.’

‘We’ll talk later, Malcolm. I am far too angry to discuss this with you.’ Dani silenced him. ‘Go take care of your conference call.’

Malcolm made a tactical retreat to his office, closing the door. 

Dani was soon bundling Mia into the car and pulling out of the driveway.

‘Mommy? Are you really mad at daddy?’

Dani took a deep breath. ‘I’m mad at your father, but not really mad.’

Mia stared out the car window. ‘I don’t like when you and daddy are mad at each other.’

‘I don’t like it either, Mia.’ Dani said. Suddenly, the baby kicked and made Dani gasp. 

Mia turned to her mother. ‘Is baby okay?’

‘Yes, baby is okay. So am I. Your little brother must not like me being mad at your father too.’ She ran her hand over her extended belly, soothing her baby. 

‘I can talk to daddy,’ Mia said. 

‘No, Mia. That’s not for you to do. That’s for your father and I to talk it out.’ Dani gasped again at another kick from the baby. After a few deep breaths, Dani changed the subject. ‘Did you get all your schoolwork done for today?’

‘Yeah. Gracie helped me.’

‘She did?’

‘Yeah. I like having Gracie help me with my schoolwork. I can’t wait to have our baby brother help me too.’

‘Oh, I think your brother will be a little too young to really help you.’

‘Gracie’s young and she helps me.’

‘How does she help you?’

‘She listens when I read out loud from my books. When I have to print out my answers, she watches me. I want my baby brother to help me too. Will Gracie get help from him?’

‘I don’t know yet, Mia. We have to wait and see as he grows up as to how much he helps you and Gracie out.’

‘Will I be able to help like I did with Gracie?’

‘Of course you will, Mia. Your daddy and I appreciate your help all the time.’ Dani assured her eldest daughter. They pulled into the school parking lot. ‘Give me a kiss and a hug.’

‘I love you, mommy.’ Mia hugged her mother tight and then gave her belly a kiss and a hug too. ‘Love you too, baby brother.’

Dani sat for awhile, having watched Mia wave and run into the school with her friends. Tapping a finger on the steering wheel, she debated if she was ready to head back home or not. Alone with her thoughts, she knew she was still too upset to confront Malcolm yet. She had to resolve her emotions before that. They had always agreed to not be angry and emotional when they had a disagreement and it had stood them in good stead up till then. 

Instead, Dani pulled out of the school parking lot and went to the bookstore. She parked at the back and slipped in through the receiving door. Unlocking her office door, she sat down at her desk and turned on her computer. Dani was determined to burn off her anger by focussing on the event scheduling for the new year. 

As she worked on the scheduling, Dani had some concerns about delivery times that had potential problems not only for her store but for the London location as well. Casually, she picked up the phone and called Brian to go over everything. 

‘Dani!’ Daniel burst in, not expecting the door to be unlocked. ‘This is your day off! Why are you here?’

Dani looked up suddenly at the interruption. ‘Daniel. Sorry.’

‘Dani? Are you at the office? I thought you were calling from home! You’re meant to be on shortened hours!’ Brian was upset at learning that Dani was at the office. 

‘Oh, gosh. I’m sorry, Dani. I wasn’t expecting you here today and the door was unlocked I was worried..’

Dani, faced with both Brian and Daniel telling her off, felt her stomach turn over suddenly and then a hard kick by the baby which left her breathless. ‘I didn’t intend to come in.’ She began to explain to both men, one on the phone and one in front of her in the office. A ripple ran through her stomach muscles suddenly. ‘OH!’ The phone dropped from her hand onto the desk as her hands went to her belly. 

‘Dani!’ Brian called out on the phone as Daniel did in the office. 

Daniel was quickly at her side, her hand gripping tightly onto his. ‘Breathe, Dani. Breathe.’

‘Daniel!’ Brian yelled into the phone, getting the assistant manager’s attention. ‘I’m hanging up! Call an ambulance and call Malcolm!’

‘Breathe, Dani!’ Daniel reached over to the phone and quickly dialled the local ambulance. After giving them the address, he hung up and dialled Malcolm.

‘Malcolm! It’s Daniel.’

‘What’s up? Did Dani wind up going in?’

‘OH! Malcolm! The baby!’ Dani cried out as another contraction ran through her and before Daniel could say anything else.

‘Dani!?!’ Malcolm asked worryingly. His conference call had ended some time ago and he had been working on his column. Gracie had happily taken up Malcolm’s offer to have her watch cartoons for awhile. 

‘Malcolm, she’s going into labour! I’ve called the ambulance!’

‘I’ll be right there!’ Malcolm yelled into the phone. ‘Hang on, Dani! I’m coming!’ Malcolm hung up the phone and ran into the front room. ‘Gracie. Sorry, little lady, we have to go.’

‘Daddy?’ Gracie was confused as Malcolm turned off the tv.   
‘Mommy needs me to go get her at work. Your baby brother is coming early.’ Malcolm slipped his shoes on even as he was calling a cab on his mobile. 

‘Baby brother! Yay!’ Gracie clapped her hands even as Malcolm was trying to get her coat on. 

‘We’re going to go visit the neighbor.’

‘Kitty!’

‘Yes, you’ll get to go visit with kitty.’ Malcolm got Gracie’s shoes on. Bundling her out of the house, he crossed the yards to their neighbour’s house. He spoke briefly to the older woman who lived there with her cat. Gracie soon spotted the cat and the cat spotted Gracie and the two of them were soon flopping onto the front room floor to play. After profusely thanking his neighbour for agreeing to watch Gracie, Malcolm raced down the path as the cab pulled up. Sitting in the cab Malcolm’s feet began to tap up and down furiously with nervousness.

Malcolm was exiting the cab at the front of the bookstore as the ambulance pulled up. Following on the footsteps of the ambulance attendants, Malcolm raced through the bookstore to the manager’s office where Dani was still in her chair tightly holding onto Daniel as yet another contraction ran through her. Daniel was more than happy to give up his position at Dani’s side to Malcolm. The attendants were soon hooking her up to the heart monitor. With Malcolm’s help, she was soon up on the gurney and being wheeled through the bookstore. It was left to Daniel to answer customer questions as to what was going on.

On the ride to the hospital, the ambulance attendants kept both of them occupied with assorted questions about Dani’s condition and what the due date was to have been. It was a blur to Malcolm until they were finally installed in a room at the hospital to await the arrival of their obstetrician. 

Dani, her hand now holding Malcolm’s just as tightly as she had gripped Daniel’s, felt another contraction run through her. Malcolm comforted her as best he could. Nurses came in to help as well. The obstetrician got there and he was soon asking a series of questions as he listened to Dani’s heart and the baby’s heart. 

‘Well, Dani. The baby is quite healthy and strong but he’s not moved yet. Looks like he wants to stay where he is for the moment. You, on the other hand, have a slightly elevated blood pressure and heart rate. What’s been going on today?’

‘It hasn’t been a great morning.’ Was all that Dani would say. ‘I was working at the office.’

‘This was likely a stress-induced false alarm. I think you have to seriously consider starting your maternity leave from work now.’ The doctor was taking the situation very seriously. ‘I’ll go back to my office and get the paperwork done to authorize your leave effective immediately.’

‘But I still have some scheduling to arrange.’

‘Love,’ Malcolm squeezed her hand. ‘You can finalize that from home.’ 

‘Strictly from home.’ The doctor warned her. ‘Let’s make sure nothing goes wrong with your little one or with you.’

Dani accepted her fate. ‘Fine. I’ll finish the scheduling from home then.’

‘Good call. Malcolm, make sure she stays on bed rest as much as possible. No strenuous physical activity either. Take a few more hours of rest, we’ll observe you and if there’s no more contractions we’ll get you out of here and home.’

‘Thanks, Doctor.’ Malcolm shook his hand. 

Dani rested on the hospital bed in silence at first as Malcolm held her hand, his fingers rubbing the back of her hand gently. At first, he couldn’t look her in the eye. He was the reason, he thought, for her having gone through this stress and false alarm. ‘Love?’

‘Malcolm.’ Dani responded without any emotion.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Accepted.’

‘I broke my promise to you.’

‘You did.’

Malcolm grimaced. Her tone was telling him that she was still upset with him for what had happened that morning. ‘I did. I really wish I hadn’t.’

‘But you did.’ Dani reminded him. ‘I don’t want it to happen again.’

‘I don’t want it to either.’

‘Why did you use that word?’

‘I had been talking to Jamie on the phone. It came out and I didn’t realize that Gracie had come into the office.’

‘The girls can be anywhere at anytime, Malcolm. We’re the adults. We have to behave that way.’ Dani told him. ‘Not talking like some teenager on the schoolyard.’

‘I know, love. I know.’ Malcolm lifted her hand to kiss it. 

‘I need you to commit to not using such language at all in the house nor anywhere around the girls or the new baby..’ 

Malcolm nodded and laid his hands on Dani’s belly. ‘I swear, Dani, on the life of our baby, that I will absolutely never use such language in the house or around our children again.’

Dani put her hands over his. ‘Don’t promise something you can’t live up to, Malcolm.’

He dropped his head for a moment. ‘Fair enough, love. I promise I will do my very best to never use that language again.’

She moved her hands to his cheeks. ‘Thank you, Malcolm. Just do your very best.’

Malcolm bent over to hug her, almost catching the cord of the heart monitor stuck to her finger. ‘Oops. Better not be knocking that over.’

‘Malcolm?’

‘Yes, love?’

‘Go see if I can escape from here now?’

‘Of course, my love.’ 

An hour later, Dani had clearance to leave and they had gotten in a cab to go back to the bookstore. Malcolm got on the phone to the school to let Mia know that they would be there shortly to pick her up. Dani used one of the other lines to speak to Brian about starting her maternity leave immediately per doctor’s orders. Daniel, nervously twisting his hands, was formally promoted to acting manager to take over Dani’s position for the duration. She did make it clear to him that she was just a phone call away. 

‘No, you are not driving.’ Malcolm said as he snatched the keys from her. ‘You are not to do anything strenuous or stressful.’

‘Driving a car is not stressful.’ Dani countered.

‘I’m saying that it’s too stressful in your condition. Passenger side. Now.’ He took her by the elbow to usher her to the other side.   
‘Malcolm. I’m not going to be totally useless.’ Dani continued to argue even as Malcolm held the car door open for her. 

‘You are by no means useless. You are doing the very hard job of carrying out little boy.’ 

Dani lost the argument and accepted his help to sit in the car. Malcolm slid behind the wheel, adjusting the seat backwards to accommodate his long legs. It wasn’t a long drive to get to the school and Malcolm ran into the school. Emerging with Mia holding his hand, Malcolm had thrown her pink school bag over his shoulder. 

‘You okay, mommy?’ Mia got in the back seat, buckling up her seat belt. ‘Daddy said you went to the hospital.’

‘I’m fine, Mia. Your little brother just got upset a bit with me today.’

‘Is he okay?’ Mia’s concern went up a notch. 

‘Your brother is fine. The doctor was listening to his heartbeat and said he was very strong and healthy.’

‘Daddy says you get to stay home now. Will you be walking me to school now?’

‘No!’ Malcolm cut in. ‘Mommy is going to be taking it very easy until your brother is born.’

‘Oh.’ Mia went quiet a moment. ‘Can’t you let him come home early?’

‘Lass, it doesn’t work that way.’ Malcolm chuckled.

‘It sounds like he wants to come home.’ Mia reasoned.

‘We thought he did too but not yet.’ Dani said. 

‘Soon though?’

‘By Christmas, lass.’ 

They pulled up at home and Malcolm helped Dani into the house to get her settled on the couch for now. Walking over to the neighbour’s house, Malcolm thanked the neighbour for watching over Gracie. She tried to coax the neighbour’s cat to come along but Malcolm stopped that by picking her up in his arms and taking her home. He got a little hiss from the cat in response.

‘Mommy come home?’ Gracie asked.

‘Yes, mommy is home. She’s waiting for your hug. You going to hug mommy when we get in the house?’

‘Yeah!’

‘Where’s my hug?’ Malcolm asked and promptly got almost strangled by his daughter’s arms going around his neck. ‘Now that’s a hug.’

‘I love you, daddy!’ She planted a big wet kiss on his cheek. 

They got in the door and Gracie was quick to get put down by Malcolm. ‘Mommy! Mommy!’ She raced into the front room to scramble up on the couch beside her mother. Like Malcolm, Dani got the strangle hug treatment. ‘Where’s baby brother! Want to hug baby!’ 

‘No baby brother yet, Gracie.’ Dani said, patting her belly. 

‘Daddy said baby coming home today.’ Gracie looked disappointed. ‘Still in tummy?’

‘Yes, my princess. Your baby brother is still in my tummy. He’s not ready to come out yet.’

‘I want to hug.’ She pouted.

‘You can hug him still.’ Dani told her. ‘Just hug him gently through my tummy.’

‘But he can’t play.’ Gracie rested her head on Dani’s belly, her arms circling her mother’s belly. ‘I want to play.’

‘Why don’t you sing to your brother. He’d like you to sing to him.’ Dani encouraged her daughter, stroking Gracie’s back to comfort her. 

‘That’s a good idea, mommy.’ Mia agreed. ‘You remember itsy bitsy song, Gracie? We can sing that. You can do the spider walk over mommy’s belly for our brother.’


	16. Chapter 16

‘Glasgow - Next Stop - Glasgow’ The recorded voice called out over the train. 

‘Almost there, Sam.’ Jamie began to put away his newspaper that he’d been reading. 

Sam got up and stretched a bit. ‘Five hours, Jamie. Why did we opt for the train instead of a flight?’

‘Because it’s cheaper and this is a vacation not a working trip either of us could write off as an expense.’ Jamie stood himself to begin gathering up his and Sam’s luggage. He waved off her insistence on getting her own things together. ‘I’m not your boss now, Sam. We’re on vacation. We just happen to be going to the same place at the same time for our holidays.’

‘So, what happens in Glasgow stays in Glasgow?’ Sam teased.

‘If word gets out around Number 10 about me being used as a horse by Gracie I will know exactly who let it out.’ 

‘Now, why would I go telling people that a little girl has you wrapped around her finger?’

‘Because that would destroy my tough guy reputation.’ Jamie grinned and picked up the large Paddington Bear that he had set on the seat beside him.

‘Malcolm is going to give you such grief over yet another oversized bear for Gracie.’

‘I can handle Malcolm.’

‘And Dani’s reaction?’

‘You get to handle Dani.’ Jamie winked at his PA. 

‘Glasgow - this stop - Glasgow’ The recorded voice called out their stop.

Emerging from the train station, they spotted Malcolm waving to them. ‘This man doesn’t look a day older does he?’ Sam noted.

‘You’re asking me about how another guy looks?’ Jamie chuckled at her. ‘Only thing I can say is he looks a bit scruffier.’

‘Well, fatherhood agrees with him.’ Sam declared. ‘Now he’s going to have a little boy too.’

‘About time, all those women would have got him all soft.’

‘Jamie! Sam!’ Malcolm called out to them. He hugged Sam tightly and then hugged Jamie before thumping him on the back. ‘How was the trip up here?’

‘Dull, boring. It was a train ride.’ Jamie said. ‘Glad to be here. You didn’t bring the girls with you?’

‘No, they’re stuck to Dani like glue. Since she was told to not work they’ve been little angels doing anything and everything they can for her. I was sent off to pick you two up on my own. Told them I’d pick up some dinner on the way home. You two up to having some Chinese take-away?’

‘I’m good with that, Malcolm.’ Sam agreed followed by Jamie agreeing as well. 

At the car, Malcolm got the luggage into the boot. ‘Another bear, Jamie? Gracie hasn’t even gotten close to the size of the last one you got her.’

‘She needs something to look up to.’ Jamie said. 

‘I’m not enough?’ 

‘You’re a bad influence.’ Jamie teased his old friend. ‘It’s a wonder you don’t have two bad seeds ruling the roost there.’

‘With Dani around? No way.’ Malcolm grinned and started up the car. ‘Be prepared you two. The girls have been talking about you two getting there all day.’

‘Jamie’s been looking forward it himself.’ Sam said. ‘Kept talking about Gracie all the way on the train.’

‘I did not.’

‘Have I just adopted two more kids temporarily for the holidays?’ Malcolm glanced at the two of them, Sam in the passenger seat and Jamie in the back.

Jamie clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Isn’t that what holidays are for, Malcolm?’

After a brief stop to pick up the Chinese he had ordered, Malcolm pulled the car up at the house. He couldn’t even get the boot opened before the front door flew open and Mia was running out with Gracie right behind. They were both calling out for their Aunt Sam and Uncle Jamie. ‘Fine, fine, I’ll do all the work here! Don’t mind your father at all.’ Malcolm grumbled cheerfully as the girls were showering attention on Jamie and Sam as he got the luggage out of the boot. 

‘Aw, daddy.’ Mia finally got away from Sam to give him a hug. She took one of the bags of Chinese food from him to take it into the house.

‘Bear!’ Gracie caught sight of the large bear Jamie had bought for her. She ran up to it and hugged it before trying to carry it on her own into the house. 

‘Gracie, let me help you with that.’ Jamie laughed at the sight of the almost three year old trying to carry the over-sized bear. 

‘Mommy! I got bear!’ Gracie loudly announced as she dragged the bear with Jamie into the front room where her mother was reclining as comfortably as she could on the couch. 

‘Now, that is a big bear.’ Dani smiled and shot a look at Jamie. ‘Did Uncle Jamie give you that?’

‘Yeah! It’s Paddington!’ Gracie threw her arms around it, hugging it tightly. 

‘Did you say thank you to Uncle Jamie?’ Dani reminded her daughter. 

‘Thank you!’ Gracie left off hugging the bear to wrap her arms around Jamie until he picked her up for one of her strangle hugs. ‘I love you, Uncle Jamie!’

‘I love you too, Gracie. Down you get. I’ve got to go help your dad.’ 

Sam was being lead in by Mia, ‘Dani! Don’t you just look radiant!’ She leaned over and gently hugged the heavily pregnant Dani. ‘The baby must be so close to coming now.’

‘Any day now, the doctor thinks. It’s certainly feels like the little lad wants to meet his sisters.’ 

‘Can I get you anything?’ Sam asked. 

Before Dani could answer, Malcolm and Jamie stormed into the house in a loud clatter of luggage wheels and bags smacking against the door jamb. ‘No, Gracie. Go see your mommy. Don’t want you getting hit by one of these bags. Mia! Can you grab this other bag for me?’ Malcolm was easily slipping into dad mode to corral his girls even with his hands full. ‘Dani? All good?’

‘Yes, Malcolm. I’m fine. Sam, can you give me a hand up? I can at least get us all plates to eat dinner from.’

Hours later, the remnants of the Chinese food was put away in the fridge, the smear of dropped sweet and sour sauce was cleaned up from the floor where Gracie had eaten, and the kettle was near to boiling for some after dinner tea for everyone. Sam was lounging on the large bean bag with Gracie sitting beside her. Mia was on the floor, a book open for her to read aloud. Jamie was in the large chair as Dani leaned into Malcolm on the couch. 

The kettle began to whistle. “I’ll get the tea, Malcolm. Stay where you are.’ Jamie got up. 

‘You’re our guest, Jamie. Not your job.’ Malcolm tried to argue but Jamie stopped him.

‘We’re old friends, Malcolm. Family. Not guests. Neither of us want you waiting on us at all. We’re here to help and visit.’

‘Stay where you are, Malcolm.’ Dani added. ‘You’re making a perfect back rest for me right now.’  
‘See, Malcolm? You can’t argue with the pregnant lady.’ 

‘No tea for Gracie.’ Sam said softly. ‘She’s already sleeping.’ They looked over and saw the little girl curled up against Sam, fast asleep. ‘Let her be for now. We can get her to bed later when we go ourselves.’

‘Should I stop reading?’ Mia asked.

‘No, lass, keep reading.’ Malcolm encouraged her and Mia, smiling at her father, went back to reading aloud to them. 

As Mia finished off the book, Gangsta Granny, they all laughed softly to not wake up Gracie. ‘Lass, let’s get you and your sister to bed now.’ Malcolm got up, getting a bit of a reluctant groan from Dani who had to move on the couch with her backrest gone. ‘Jamie, you’re getting Mia’s room. Sam, you’re getting Gracie’s.’

‘Where the girls going?’ Sam asked.

‘I’ve set up the air mattress for them in the baby’s room.’ Malcolm said. ‘It’s empty for now after all.’

‘And when baby arrives they’ll have to be moved.’ Sam reasoned. Gracie slept on, cuddled up against her aunt. ‘Put them in Gracie’s room with me. Will it take much to move the mattress?’

‘No, Sam. You’re our guest.’

‘Family, Malc.’ Jamie corrected him. ‘Let’s go upstairs. I’ll help you move the mattress.’

Half an hour later, the men had the mattress moved and remade for the two girls. Malcolm left Jamie to get himself settled in his own temporary accommodations. 

‘Right, lass.’ Malcolm ruffled Mia’s hair. ‘Head on up and get changed. I laid out your pj’s on Gracie’s bed for you.’

‘But Gracie is sleeping with Sam.’ Mia pointed out.

‘Well, I’m going to see if I can carry her upstairs without waking her. Now, up you go.’ Malcolm watched her go before turning to the bean bag. ‘Alright, Sam. Let’s set you free of the little one.’ As gently as he could, Malcolm slipped his hands under his curled up youngest daughter. Gracie, tired out from the excitement of Jamie and Sam arriving, only barely registered her father picking her up. She shifted in his arm to let her head rest against his shoulder. 

Sam followed Malcolm up the stairs. Mia was already on the air mattress bed, pj’s on and blanket pulled up. Between the three of them, they got Gracie into bed and tucked in with only a brief opening of her sleepy eyes. Malcolm got her favourite bear she slept with and tucked it into her arms. He kissed her forehead and watched Gracie slip back into a deep sleep. After a cuddle with Mia and a goodnight kiss for her too, Malcolm hugged Sam good night as well and left the girls for the night.

After heading downstairs to assist Dani up the stairs to their own bed, Malcolm got her settled in as comfortably as she could for the night. He curled up in bed against her. 

‘Your feet are cold,’ Dani complained sleepily.

Malcolm moved them away from her. ‘Better?’

‘Yes.’ 

He kissed her on the shoulder, arms around her. ‘Warm enough?’

‘Mmm, for now.’ 

‘Good. Baby?’ His hand ran down to her belly, resting it lightly to stroke her and the baby.

‘Very restless today but he seems to be ready for sleep like me.’

‘Goodnight, my love.’

‘Goodnight, Malcolm. My dear man.’


	17. Chapter 17

Malcolm woke in the morning not because of Dani but from the sound of a dull thumping. After rubbing at his face, he peeled slowly away from Dani and got out of bed. With his hair disheveled, Malcolm exited the master bedroom to carefully close the door behind him to leave Dani sleeping. The thumping was louder and then he could hear the muffled giggling. His eyes narrowed as he approached Gracie’s room. 

Unthinking, he opened the door. ‘Gracie? What’s going on in here?’ 

He caught just a glimpse of Sam bouncing up and down with her bottom on the end of the air mattress. Each bounce sent the mattress off with a lift on the other end getting the girls flying up a little. Mia discovered that by timing it right for a bounce of her own she got more lift. She had been trying to show Gracie the trick as well when Malcolm walked in. Their pillows and Gracie’s bear had scattered about the floor. Blankets had slid off the mattress as well.

‘Sam?’ Malcolm furrowed his brows at her. 

‘Oops. I tried to get the girls to be quiet.’ 

‘Sorry, I thought you were the adult in the room?’

‘It’s the holidays, Malcolm.’ Sam smiled at him and then bounced a last time to send the girls bouncing up to giggle more loudly. 

Malcolm blinked a few times, scratched at the stubble on his face and then just shrugged at them. ‘I’ll go put the coffee on. Pancakes good for everyone?’

‘Yay! Pancakes!’ Gracie bounded off the bed. ‘With chocolate chips!’

‘Yes, with chocolate chips. Don’t go waking up your mommy or Uncle Jamie. Mia, can you help your sister get herself to the washroom?’

‘Yes, daddy. Blueberry for me please?’

‘Sam?’

‘Blueberry too. Thanks. I’ll help with girls as well.’

‘Thanks.’ 

Soon enough, Malcolm was in the kitchen with the coffee brewing and the griddle heating up. His warning to keep quiet wasn’t being heeded to by the girls as they sounded like a herd of elephants coming down the stairs. 

‘Girls, quietly.’ Malcolm tried to remind them as they were pulling their chairs out from the table to sit for breakfast. 

‘Sorry, daddy.’ Mia told him as she helped Gracie onto her chair. 

Sam appeared and quietly sat herself, trying to stay out of Malcolm’s way in case he was mad with her. When she saw Mia about to spill juice while filling a cup for Gracie, she quickly got up and took over. ‘Careful, Mia.’

‘Thanks, auntie!’ Mia smiled and, with juice for both of them, she sat down. 

‘Need a hand at all, Malcolm?’ Sam offered.

‘No, it won’t be long. Two blueberry and one chocolate chip coming right up.’

The girls chatted with Sam as they waited for their breakfast. 

‘That smells perfect.’ Jamie strode into the kitchen. ‘And pancakes too? You’re a proper house husband, Malcolm.’

‘And you…’ Malcolm waved the spatula at him threateningly. ‘... are asking for trouble, Mr. McDonald. Sit and behave or you’re on your own for breakfast.’

‘That chocolate chip?’ Jamie asked, pouring himself a coffee. ‘Can I get a chocolate chip pancake? Or two?’

‘Sit!’ 

With a chuckle, Jamie sat at the table beside Gracie. Plates were placed in front of each of them in turn as Malcolm made large pancakes for each of them. Jamie helped Gracie out with hers, pouring on some syrup and helping cut hers up. 

‘Morning, everyone.’ Dani was slowly joining them. ‘Oh, Malcolm. You really know how to put on a proper breakfast.’ She came up behind Malcolm to hug him, giving him a discreet kiss on his cheek. ‘There enough blueberry for me?’

‘Of course, love.’ Malcolm’s tone changed responding to Dani. ‘How you doing?’

‘Tired and sore. Can’t wait to have this little one born.’ Dani sat down at the table. ‘What’s the plan for today then? Aside from my impatient waiting?’

Malcolm laid a plate with a blueberry pancake down in front of Dani and then quickly made one up for himself to sit at her side. ‘I’ll tell you what we need to get done today.’ Malcolm poured on some syrup before finishing his sentence. ‘We have a tree to go shopping for.’

‘We get tree today!’ Gracie clapped her hands together. 

‘Yes, little lady. We’ll get the tree today.’

‘It has to be the perfect tree.’ Mia declared. ‘For our new baby brother.’

‘Well, we’ll all go shopping so we can make sure it is perfect, lass.’ Malcolm smiled at his oldest. ‘First though, finish breakfast. Gracie, that means eating not playing.’

Gracie beamed at her father, her fingers in the act of grabbing a piece of chocolate chip laden and syrup soaked pancake. ‘Yes, daddy.’ She then promptly began to drag the piece of pancake through puddles of syrup. Jamie helpfully cut up more pieces of pancake for the youngster. The occasional chocolate chip came loose and Gracie was more than willing to use her fingers to pick them up and pop them in her mouth.

‘More coffee anyone?’ Malcolm got up, asking the others. After pouring out coffee into everyone’s mugs. ‘Gracie, look at you!’

Mia giggled as she looked at her sister. Gracie was in the act of stuffing too large a piece of pancake into her mouth and got syrup all over her face. ‘Sticky facey Gracey!’ 

‘More like messy lady.’ Malcolm clucked. ‘All finished up you?’ Gracie nodded after snatching the last chocolate chip from her plate.

‘Oh, Gracie.’ Dani couldn’t help but smile at her daughter. ‘Mia can you go fetch me a cloth?’

‘Yes, mommy.’

Jamie laughed, ruffling Gracie’s hair. ‘You like your chocolate chip pancakes, don’t you?’

‘Yeah!’ Gracie held out her hands to him, spotted with sticky syrup and chocolate stains. ‘Choc chips are best!’

‘I thought I was the best.’ Jamie teased.

‘Uncle Jamie is best!’ Gracie changed her mind and threw her arms around him suddenly, hugging him. Jamie hugged her back, with a slight wince as he could feel her syrup covered fingers on his neck.

‘Gracie. You’re a mess!’ Dani warned her daughter. ‘Come over here.’

‘No!’ Gracie let go of Jamie and slid off her chair to go hide behind Malcolm. 

‘Oh no you don’t, little lady.’ Malcolm stopped her hands clutching his pyjamas.

‘Here’s the cloth.’ Mia handed it to her mother. 

‘Gracie, come over here.’ Dani told her, the tone she used warning her daughter to not play around. Gracie squatted in protest for a moment before Malcolm gave her a little nudge. She shook her head and this time got her hands around his pant leg to leave sticky handprints of syrup on his pyjamas. ‘Gracie, no more playing.’

‘Okay, mommy.’ Gracie finally walked over to her mother and was soon getting her face and hands roughly cleaned up. 

‘There, no more major mess.’

Mia went over to Malcolm, tugging on his hand. ‘Daddy.’

‘Yes, lass?’ 

‘I need to whisper to you.’ Mia tugged on him again. Malcolm knelt down and Mia was cupping her hands around his ear to whisper to him.

‘You sure, lass?’ He asked after she finished.

‘Yes.’ Mia nodded emphatically.

‘You go tell your sister then. This is your choice.’ 

Mia nodded again and went over to Gracie. ‘Gracie. I need you to do a favour for me.’

‘Yeah.’ Gracie gazed at her sister. ‘I do favour! I do well!’

‘Someone has to stay home with mommy to keep watch.’ Mia took hold of Gracie’s hands in hers. ‘So, I’m going to stay and keep mommy company. You have to go pick our baby brother’s perfect tree.’

Gracie’s mouth dropped open. ‘Me? Pick tree?’

‘Yes. This is important, Gracie.’

‘Yeah.’ Her eyes were wide. ‘You gotta come!’

‘No, Gracie. You have to start being a big sister too.’

‘You big sister.’ Gracie hugged her sister tightly. 

‘I’m always going to be your big sister. But you get to be our baby brother’s big sister too.’ Mia hugged her back. ‘You pick the tree for him. It has to be perfect.’

‘Mia, really, you don’t need to stay home with me.’ Dani said softly. ‘I’ll be fine.’

‘No, mommy. Daddy has to go with Gracie and I need to stay with you.’

Dani looked at Malcolm, who shrugged his shoulders. ‘Her decision, love.’

‘You have to be sure of this, Mia.’ Dani told her.

‘I am, mommy.’

“That’s all decided then,’ Jamie noted. ‘Sam? You coming to hunt for a tree then?’

‘I’ll leave that to you boys. Dani and Mia I think would like some extra company.’ Sam bowed out of tree shopping.

‘You just don’t want to muck about amidst the trees.’ Jamie challenged her. 

‘That too.’ Sam admitted. ‘Go and enjoy the day. It’s Gracie’s first big sister day.’


	18. Chapter 18

Malcolm navigated the roads just outside of Glasgow to the Christmas tree farm. Jamie sat in the back beside Gracie. As they neared the farm, Gracie pressed her face against the car window. ‘Look at all the trees!’ She was pointing at them for Jamie’s benefit. ‘We get tree here!’

‘We are.’ Jamie said. ‘You going to get a big tree for your brother?’

‘Baby brother will be big.’

‘Oh, I think he’s going to be small to start.’

‘Boys are bigger. Like daddy.’

‘Not all boys are big. I’m not as big as your daddy.’

‘Bigger than me.’

‘Even Mia is bigger than you. You’ve got years to get bigger though. You may always be bigger than your baby brother.’ 

The road got bumpy and Malcolm apologized for hitting one bad pothole that shook the passengers. Gracie laughed as she bumped around. The car came to a stop. ‘Here we are!’

Gracie waited for Malcolm to open the passenger door then, with Jamie having unbuckled her, she jumped down out of the car. Her feet protected by her pink rubber boots landed with a splash in a puddle. 

‘Right, little lady, let’s go get your little brother a proper Christmas tree.’ Malcolm took one of her hands and Jamie took her other hand. 

Entering the farm, they were faced with rows of trees of differing heights and widths. Some were thinner than others. Some had more full branches and other’s were weedier looking. Gracie was at first overwhelmed by the sight of all the trees. ‘So many trees!’

‘Lots to choose from, Gracie.’ Jamie looked around himself. ‘How big a tree you want?’

‘I don’t know.’ Gracie admitted, biting her lip. 

‘When you see the right tree, little lady, you’ll know.’ Malcolm assured her. ‘Let’s go have a look around. Don’t go running off at all.’

‘I won’t, daddy.’ Gracie promised. 

Walking up and down the rows, Jamie and Malcolm would stop and point out possible trees. Gracie, looking at them with a serious gaze, would take a moment then shake her head. ‘Not right.’

‘You’re fussy.’ Malcolm grumbled. ‘On we go.’ 

They carried on past more trees. At one large tree, Malcolm and Jamie stopped to look at it, debating on it being the right one to get. Neither of them paid attention to Gracie for just a moment and in that moment, she got out of their grasp to wander off. Without a word, she was off on her own. She was small enough to pass between two of the trees to the next row over. There, instead of looking at trees she wound up splashing through a series of puddles, covering her boots in mud splatters. 

Without either of the men to watch over her, Gracie began to slowly wander down the row of trees. As she walked right beside them, she let her hand run over the prickly branches. She giggled as they tickled her palm. 

It was Jamie who noticed Gracie gone first. ‘Malcolm? Where’s Gracie?’

‘You were holding on to her, I thought.’ Malcolm began to look up and down the row, searching for her.

‘I thought you were, Malc!’ Jame felt his heart sink. ‘Fuck!’

‘She can’t be far.’ Malcolm’s tone belied his growing panic.

‘And she has those bloody bright boots.’ Jamie headed down the row, away from Malcolm and unknowingly away from Gracie.

The little girl, barely registering the sounds of the men in the next row over, kept wandering past the trees. Looking at them with a tilted head and then moving on. Some she had to step back and tilt her head to see the tops and shaking her head. 

‘Shit!’ Malcolm cursed as he craned his head around trees to try and locate his daughter. ‘GRACIE!’ He called out with no response. His thoughts went to the worst possible scenario of course. ‘GRACIE!’

Jamie took up the cry as well. ‘GRACIE! WHERE ARE YOU!’

Gracie, oblivious, had wandered another row over and away from the men. These were younger trees now. Shorter than the others, Gracie didn’t have to step back or tilt her head so much. She touched some of the branches and found these ones weren’t as prickly or ticklish to her. Another puddle distracted her and she jumped into it a few times. She could hear the men yelling and she called out ‘Daddy!’ a few times to respond but her voice didn’t carry at all.

Then, she found it.

It was a tree that was only about 4 foot tall. The branches formed almost a perfect conical shape and, save for one spot that looked a bit thin, the needs were thick and full on the branches. She stood there, gazing at it, her smile wide.

Jamie had gone all the way to the other end of the row of trees and had spotted her small figure with her bright pink boots done at the far end. ‘MALCOLM! FOUND HER!’ He jogged down the row. ‘Gracie, that wasn’t very smart, wandering off without us.’

‘Uncle Jamie. I found it!’ She pointed at the tree.

Catching up to the little girl, Jamie picked her up into his arms to hug her tight. ‘You gave your daddy and your uncle such a scare.’ He kissed her on the cheek.

‘I was looking for tree.’ Gracie said, not caring about the fright her Uncle had just had. 

‘We were to have been looking together. Not you on your own.’

‘Mia said I was big sister.’ Gracie puffed up her chest. ‘Big sisters are responsible.’

‘It’s responsible.’ Jamie corrected her. ‘Running off without letting daddy and I know is not responsible.’

Malcolm was running down the row of trees from the other direction. ‘Gracie, Gracie, Gracie. Oh you scared the wits out of me.’ He took her from Jamie, hugging her very close. 

It was with Malcolm holding her so close that Gracie felt his fear and worry. She looked regretful and about to cry but Malcolm brushed her cheek, calming her a little. She threw her arms around his neck and cuddled her head close against his cheek. ‘I’m sorry, daddy.’ 

‘I know, little lady. I know.’ Malcolm stroked her hair. ‘No running off in strange places, okay?’

‘Yes, daddy.’ 

‘Can you say sorry to Uncle Jamie too? He was scared too.’ 

‘I’m sorry, Uncle Jamie.’ Gracie apologized to him and he accepted it. ‘Found baby brother’s tree.’

‘You did?’ Malcolm asked, glancing around at the range of shorter trees.

‘Yeah.’ Gracie wriggled in his arms to be let down. Once on her feet again, Gracie went right to her tree and pointed at it. ‘This one. It’s perfect.’

‘You sure about this?’ Malcolm asked, glancing at an unhelpful Jamie.

‘Yeah. It’s baby brother’s tree.’

‘This one it is then.’ Malcolm stood, standing upright to tower over the tree by close to 2 feet. 

With one of the men keeping tight hold of Gracie's hand, they marked the tree they wanted, went to the closest staff member to purchase it. 

It wasn’t more than 30 minutes when the tree was bound up and tied onto the roof of the car. 

At home, Malcolm and Jamie got the tree in the house and set it up in the front room after relocating the large bean bag chair to the other side of the couch. Mia waited impatiently, her arms around Gracie. Dani and Sam stood behind the girls watching the proceedings. 

‘It’s perfect!’ Mia declared, kissing Gracie happily. Gracie clapped her hands in response. ‘Our baby brother is going to love it!’

‘It’s a very beautiful tree,’ Dani ruffled Gracie’s hair, not even trying to bend down to hug her daughter. ‘You picked just perfectly, Gracie.’

Sam agreed, kneeling down to hug Gracie herself. ‘You are such a big sister already.’

‘I’m big sister!’ She puffed up her chest. ‘Just like Mia.’

‘That you are, little lady. That you are.’ Malcolm agreed, beaming with pride at his daughter.


	19. Chapter 19

Dani woke up to a kick from the baby. Rubbing her belly to try and soothe the little boy, Dani slowly got up and made her way to the washroom. Another kick and then a ripple of a short contraction had her bent over slightly to catch her breath. ‘Soon, little one. Please?’ By the time she finished in the washroom, Malcolm had come back upstairs to help her down. ‘I am able to walk on my own, Malcolm.’

‘Let’s not push things anymore than needed, love.’ Malcolm smiled at her. ‘Girls are fed already.’

‘I slept in then.’

‘With good reason. There’s still coffee but I’ll make more if you like.’

‘Could I just get some of that herbal tea maybe?’ Dani asked. ‘And some toast? That would be perfect.’

‘Of course.’ 

A chorus of good mornings, and girls wrapping their arms around her for her morning hugs, greeted Dani as she joined them in the kitchen. ‘Everyone sleep well?’

‘Better than you, I’d say.’ Jamie commented. ‘You look like hell.’

‘Thanks, Jamie.’ Dani tried to scowl but she couldn’t be serious about it. 

‘As you say, family.’ Jamie winked at her and shrugged. 

‘Anyway,’ Sam changed the subject. ‘We were just talking about the plans for the day.’

‘Plans?’ Dani asked with curiosity.

‘Malcolm had too much stress yesterday, needs the day off.’ Jamie teased his friend. 

‘Hah. No, that’s not the reason at all.’

‘You two will never change.’ Sam rolled her eyes at the two of them. ‘I still have some shopping to do for gifts. Malcolm informed us that the girls haven’t gotten anything for one another yet either. So, we’re going to go do some shopping today.’

‘The mall is going to be mad with all the holiday shopping.’ Dani groaned. ‘I can barely stand for a few minutes let alone go shopping.’

‘Ah, well. I was thinking about Jamie and I going shopping with just the girls.’

‘But that means?’ Dani looked at Malcolm who smiled and nodded.

‘You and I get to spend a quiet day together at home, enjoying some last minute peace and quiet.’

‘Once things happen, it will happen fast.’ Sam pointed out. ‘Take the time together as a gift from Jamie and I.’

Dani reached out to take Malcolm’s hand. ‘Then I’ll accept your gift graciously.’

‘Good! That’s done then. And you don’t even need to give us a lift, Malcolm. What do you say, girls? Shall we go for a cab ride today?’

‘Yeah!’ Gracie agreed with enthusiasm. ‘I sit beside you!’ She raced over to Jamie and hugged him, squealing happily as he lifted her onto his lap for a proper hug. 

‘Course you are, Gracie.’ Jamie, still carrying Gracie. ‘Let’s go get ready to go shopping then!’

‘This is going to be fun!’ Mia declared, following Jamie and her sister.

Sam hugged Dani and then Malcolm. ‘If the guys at the office saw him with her, they’d never let him browbeat them ever again.’

‘As if!’ Malcolm scoffed. ‘Go on, you. Go get ready and go shopping.’

When the cab pulled up an hour later, the girls piled in with Sam and Jamie on either side of them. Gracie kept bouncing up and down until Jamie finally wrapped his arms around her to physically stop her. After the short drive to the mall, they spilled out of the cab. 

‘Give me a call on my cell when you two are done,’ Jamie told Sam. ‘If I finish shopping with Gracie and not heard from you, I’ll give you a shout. Deal?’

‘Deal. Meet here at this door?’

‘Sounds like a plan.’ Jamie took firm hold of Gracie’s hand. ‘Right, Gracie. Let’s go shopping!’ 

Sam, alone with Mia, looked down at the young girl. ‘Now, what did you have in mind to get your sister for Christmas.’  
‘I want to get Gracie something pretty.’ Mia said. ‘When we’re playing out in the yard, her pink trousers got ripped. I want to get new ones for her.’ 

‘Have you got daddy a gift yet?’

‘Yeah, we got him a new watch. It’s from mommy, Gracie and me.’

‘I can’t wait to see that! Did you get anything for mommy yet?’

‘No. I don’t know what to get her.’ Mia looked sad. 

‘We can keep our eyes open as we shop. You’ll know the right gift when you see it.’

Finding the pink trousers for Gracie was quickly accomplished. Walking through the mall they came to a charity gift wrapping booth and Sam covered the cost of getting the trousers wrapped for Mia. ‘No point in giving Gracie any chance of knowing what she’ll be getting.’

‘Thank you, Auntie!’ Mia gave Sam a hug. ‘I still have to find a gift for mommy.’

‘What do you think she may like?’

‘I don’t know!’ Mia sighed. 

‘What does mommy like to do then?’

‘She likes to play with Grace and me. She’ll paint and colour with us.’

‘I don’t think mommy would want paint or markers. Do you?’

‘No, she only uses ours.’ 

‘What else would she like to do?’ Sam prompted.

‘She reads to us a lot.’

‘Does she read her own books too?’ 

‘She does! Could I get her a book?’

‘A book would be perfect. How about we go to the bookshop and see what we can find there?’

‘Okay!’ Mia took hold of Sam’s hand and lead the way to the bookshop.

Browsing through the shelves, Sam found a number of books that she thought Dani might like to read for herself. Mia was looking around but couldn’t find one that she thought would be a good gift yet. With Sam behind her, Mia began to wander up and down the rows of books. At the end of one row was a display of books that caught her eye. She stopped at the display and looked at the cover. 

‘Sam! This one!’ Mia pointed to the book.

‘This one?’ Sam asked, smiling at the little girl’s choice. The book title said it all ‘How Do You Tuck In a Superhero?: And Other Delightful Mysteries of Raising Boys’

‘Mommy won’t know about little boys.’

‘There’s daddy.’

‘Daddy isn’t a little boy.’ Mia huffed. ‘He’s a daddy.’

‘This book may be good for you as well,’ Sam suggested. ‘You’ll have to learn about how to deal with a little boy too.’

‘I’ll be his big sister.’ Mia hugged the book to her chest. ‘This is mommy’s gift!’

‘The perfect gift, too.’ Sam agreed.


	20. Chapter 20

Late in the evening, Malcolm and Jamie were out in the backyard enjoying scotch and cigars. Dani wouldn’t let them smoke in the house. The men were more than happy to stretch their legs out and enjoy the cool evening air. It was milder than normal for the time of year. Blowing out a small cloud of cigar smoke, Malcolm sighed. ‘Thanks for today, Jamie. Dani and I appreciated the quiet.’

‘You two deserved a day off.’ Jamie knocked some of the ash off the end of his cigar. ‘Soon enough you’ll be both up your necks in it.’

‘A dad again.’ Malcolm gazed into the night sky. ‘Can’t believe it some days.’

‘And now you finally get a lad.’

‘You know I’d be just as glad for another little girl.’ 

‘I know, Malcolm.’ Jamie grinned. ‘Not sure if I could manage another niece though.’

‘Gracie knows exactly how to push your buttons.’

‘Imagine at Number 10 if you’d had a family when you were there?’ Jamie laughed. ‘I can see it now!’

‘You saying I’d not have been as effective?’ Malcolm chuckled.

‘I can just see it now, Malcolm Tucker bollocking a minister with baby puke on his jacket.’ Jamie scowled in imitation of Malcolm’s old ways. ‘You listen here, Minister. If you fucking think you can fucking act the cunt and get away with it when I’m.. stop pointing at my jacket! It’s only baby vomit. I told you, you fucking twat to learn your lines!’

‘JAMIE!’ Dani barked out. She and Sam had come out to join the men with cups of tea. 

‘What?’ Jamie, startled by her shout at him almost spilled his glass of scotch.

‘I will not tolerate that language in my house!’

‘Love.’ Malcolm winced at her anger. ‘The girls are tucked up in bed way at the front.’

‘Don’t even try to excuse him, Malcolm.’ Dani towered over Jamie as she stood looking down at him. ‘You will NOT use foul language in my house ever again.’

‘I didn’t think … ‘

‘No, neither has Malcolm in the past. But I am not going to have my girls picking up bad language from either of you.’

‘Dani, you’re being a bit unreasonable here.’ Jamie tried again. ‘There’s no chance the girls could have heard me at all. I’m not that daft.’

‘Daddy? Mommy?’ Gracie appeared out of nowhere behind them. ‘Can’t sleep.’ She rubbed at her eyes. ‘Can I sleep with you?’

Jamie’s eyes widened a bit at how quietly the girl had shown up behind them. Dani shot Jamie a look that told him exactly how right she was. 

‘Come here, little lady.’ Malcolm gestured to Gracie to come to him. She was soon being lifted onto his lap to be wrapped in his arms. ‘Why couldn’t you sleep?’

‘Bad dreams.’ Gracie snuffled. ‘Doggy was chasing me.’

‘Well, you’re with daddy, now. No doggy can catch you now.’ Malcolm nodded to his cigar, getting Jamie’s attention. His friend picked up and stubbed it out. 

‘You smell funny.’ Gracie said. ‘Don’t like it.’

‘Daddy was smoking a cigar with Uncle Jamie.’

‘Don’t like it.’ She wrinkled her nose at him but wasn’t about to move from his warm arms.

Dani sat in the chair beside Malcolm, stroking Gracie’s hair. ‘Daddy won’t smoke often.’

‘No, I won’t.’ Malcolm smiled softly. 

‘I won’t either.’ Jamie said, quietly putting out his own cigar. He nodded to Dani. ‘Promises to you and your mommy, Gracie.’

Gracie smiled and cuddled herself closer into Malcolm’s chest.


	21. Chapter 21

Over the next two days there was little of note to happen. Even the tree decorating went smoothly. Gracie got the honour of putting the figure of Santa Claus on the top of the tree, giggling as Malcolm lifted her up easily. 

With the tree decorated, all but just a few of the gifts were placed under the tree. Dani wagged a finger at Mia and Gracie. ‘No touching, picking up or shaking the gifts. That’s peeking before Christmas morning.’

‘Yes, mommy.’ The girls chorused. 

That evening, the girls were content to sit on the floor with cups of hot cocoa while Dani read them a Christmas story. Outside the wind picked up and then the rain began, pelting against the window. 

‘All done.’ Gracie announced holding up her empty cup of cocoa. 

‘I’ll take it to the kitchen.’ Mia offered. ‘Mine’s empty too.’

‘Thank you, lass.’ Malcolm said as the young girl took the empty cups to the kitchen. 

Mia set the empty cups on the counter and was about to return to the front room when she heard a little scratching noise. Looking to the back door, Mia spotted the neighbours cat peering in from outside. Rain was drenching the cat. Mia, concerned for the cat, went to the door and opened it up carefully. ‘Here, kitty. Come in and stay dry a bit.’ The cat came in and rubbed up against Mia’s legs. Mia petted the cat a moment, wiping off some of the water from it’s coat. She coaxed the cat into the kitchen to the bench. She got the cat to curl up on the small carpet under the table and out of sight. It was near one of the heat vents so the cat was more than happy to oblige. ‘Now, shush. You stay back here and I’ll let you back out when it stops raining.’ The cat was soon purring happily, curled up by the warm air from the vent.

Back in the front room, Mia didn’t give the cat another thought as they were soon reading another Christmas story. Between the rain on the window, the effects of their hot cocoa and the warmth in the room, Gracie was first to fall asleep and then Mia. Malcolm helped lift Mia and take her upstairs with Jamie bringing Gracie in his arms up to the bedroom. With the girls tucked in bed, the adults sat in the front room sipping on spiced eggnog with rum. Well, everyone except Dani had the rum. 

‘I’m off to bed now,’ Sam said after a muffled yawn. ‘Only four more sleeps now.’ 

‘We should all call it a night.’ Malcolm suggested. ‘Otherwise our little terrors will have the run of the house while we all sleep in.’

‘As if I can sleep in much anymore.’ Dani got to her feet with Malcolm’s help. ‘I swear the boy is knocking to be let out but isn’t opening the door the right way.’

‘Any day now, love.’ Malcolm beamed. ‘I’ll leave the tree lights on. If the girls do wake up they’ll be distracted by the tree for a while.’

Sleep descended over the entire household. In the front room, the lights on the tree blinked randomly. The wrapped presents were lit by the soft glow of the lights. In the kitchen, the neighbour’s cat awoke. Happy, warm and completely dry now, it stretched slowly and languidly. After it’s wake up stretch came a casual washing of every inch it could reach of its own fur. Feeling presentable to the world, the cat looked around in curiosity. Alone and undisturbed, the cat strolled about the entire downstairs. Finding a morsel of cereal under one of the cabinets, the cat fished it out with a long paw. A curious sniff and a tentative lick then the cat quickly ate it. It wasn’t quite the treat it had hoped it would be. 

With a disdainful look about the kitchen at its lack of interesting spots to investigate, the cat padded once more from the kitchen towards the office. The cat vaguely remembered the office from when he had been cornered by Malcolm. The cat tired of the office and left.

Strolling down the hall, the cat’s attention was drawn by the flickering lights. Silently, it padded into the front room. It sat just inside, gazing over the scene in front of it regally. 

The random, blinking lights shone on the shiny ribbons that were wrapped around some of the gifts. It drew the cat in. The pink wrapped box that Gracie’s new trousers were in was being rubbed against by the cat, scratching its chin on it. Then, suddenly, the cat flicked out its paw with unsheathed claws to swipe at the shiny ribbon. One claw tip caught the ribbon and it took a few jerks of its paw to free itself. The ribbon was left half untied and askew. 

The knocking about of the gift set some of the lower hanging baubles to swing back and forth. With the movement and the blinking lights, the cat was unable to resist. It began to swat against one of the baubles. That sent it swinging more rapidly. One more good swat and the bauble flew off the tree branch. The cat ran after it, swatting it until it rolled under the couch. The cat sat down suddenly, licking it’s paw slowly.

The lights on the tree drew its attention again though. The cat picked his way through the gifts, sending a few of them scattering away. The pine scent was too irresistible and the cat was soon rubbing its entire body against the tree trunk. While the tree stood well enough on its own it wasn’t perfectly secure against a cat and it trembled back and forth slightly. It spooked the cat and it ran off under the couch for a few minutes to regain its composure. 

Crouched down, its eyes watched the tree closely until it stopped its swaying. Still curious, the cat crept out once more and approached the tree. While the tree had swayed some of the lights had gotten knocked from the fragile perches on the ends of the branches. They hung there temptingly and blinking. With a careful and stealthy approach, the cat got up close to one loosely hanging string of the lights. 

WHOOSH. The paw struck out and caught the blinking string of lights. With a tug they began to come free of the branches. The rest of the string of lights were drawn into tighter circles around the tree trunk as the cat managed to grip the string of lights in its jaw. The protective covering of the light strands had been designed to be mostly childproof and pet proof. Even so, the cat’s teeth damaged enough of the string to cause it to break and stop the light-show. Some more tugging and dragging had the lights wound up in branches that it didn’t budge any further. The cat gave up trying to drag the lights any more and just swatted it about on the floor.

Now that they weren’t blinking, the cat became bored of it. Time for a nap anyway the cat decided. Launching itself up easily, it landed in the bean bag chair, drawn to the scent of the two humans that lived in the house that it recognized and trusted. It was warm there and the bean bag molded perfectly to his curled up body. The cat soon fell asleep with a soft purr in its throat of contentment. 

Gracie woke up earlier than everyone else. Rolling out of the air mattress, she got her slippers on properly and silently made her way down to the kitchen. The little girl wrestled the fridge door open, found a cup of her juice on the lowest shelf for her to grab and closed the door again. Sipping her juice, Gracie toddled into the front room. It took a few blinks of her eyes to orient herself. Her bean bag chair had been moved so she had to head over to it at its new spot.   
‘Meow’ The cat lifted its head when Gracie set her juice on the chair. 

‘Mr. Kitty.’ Gracie cooed happily. ‘You been sleeping?’

It responded with another meow. The cat moved out of the way as Gracie got herself into the chair. Any thoughts she had of watching cartoons had vanished. The cat’s presence was most important. The cat jumped down suddenly as Gracie had the bean bag moving about as she made a cozy spot for her to sit in. ‘Here, Mr. Kitty.’ She patted the bean bag chair happily and the cat was more than happy to jump back up. ‘Soft Mr. Kitty.’ Gracie sipped at her juice and petted the cat. The cat was soon kneading it’s paws into Gracie’s leg and purring loudly. Finishing her juice, Gracie found the warmth of the cat against her was making her sleepy again. She resettled herself into a ball in the chair and the cat decided that would be perfect as well. It snuggled itself up against Gracie. A ball of furry purrs surrounded by a deeply sleeping little girl.

An hour later, Sam woke up. She didn’t see anything wrong with Gracie not being in the bed still with Mia. She reasoned that it was likely the little girl would have wandered into her parents room to sleep with them. Downstairs, Sam went right to the kitchen and set up some coffee to brew. As she waited for it to brew, Sam went into the front room. A vague thought that Malcolm must have turned the tree lights off crossed her mind as there was no sign of them on. 

Sam froze in the doorway. ‘Oh no!’ 

The string of lights was stretched across part of the floor. A number of the baubles had rolled about to lay like silent glittery land mines if a foot were to step on them. One blue ribbon had been chewed right through and dragged away from a present. Glancing about the room, Sam’s attention was finally drawn to the bean bag chair. She clucked at the sight of Gracie curled up and asleep. Then she spotted the cat. ‘Where did you come from?’

She slowly went to the chair. The cat’s ears flicked at the new sound and it opened its eyes to look at Sam. Kneeling down, Sam reached out her hand slowly to offer it to the cat to sniff. Its whiskers trembled and then the cat pushed its head towards Sam’s hand. She began to scratch behind one of its ears, earning a purr of contentment. 

‘What the fu..’ 

‘JAMIE!’ Sam hissed. ‘You promised!’

Jamie coughed. ‘Sorry. What’s happened here?’

‘We have a visitor.’ Sam gestured to the cat. Gracie began to stir at the sound of Jamie’s voice.

‘A cat? Malcolm can’t stand pets. Where’d it come from?’ Jamie looked around. ‘Did it do all this?’

‘I imagine so.’ Sam said. 

‘Malcolm is going to go fu…. Um…. crazy.’ Jamie shook his head, reminding himself to check his language as Gracie sat up, rubbing at her sleepy eyes.. ‘Morning, little sleepy head?’

‘Morning, Uncle Jamie! Auntie Sam!’ 

Jamie approached the chair and made to scratch the cat but got a soft hiss from it. ‘You’re not a friend it seems.’

‘Fair enough.’ Jamie ruffled Gracie’s curly hair instead. ‘That coffee ready?’

‘Probably.’ 

‘Uncle Jamie?’ Gracie held up her empty juice cup. ‘I get cereal?’

‘That what you want for breakfast?’ Jamie took the empty cup.

‘Yes, please!’ Gracie smiled at him.

‘I’ll get you a cup of coffee?’ Jamie asked.

‘Please.’ Sam was once more scratching the cat’s head. ‘Maybe we can try to get this tidied up before Malcolm wakes up?’

‘Well, I’m not going near that cat.’ Jamie said. ‘No point cleaning up while it’s still in the house.’

It was Dani’s turn to wake up. As carefully as she could, she left the bed without waking Malcolm. Her need to use the washroom was too great to wait for any help. Exiting the washroom, Dani was very slowly making her way down the stairs when Mia woke up.

‘Mommy! Be careful.’ Mia cautioned her mother as she hovered nearby.

‘I’m being careful, Mia.’ Dani took it one step at a time. ‘Shush, don’t go yelling. Let your daddy sleep in.’

‘Okay, mommy.’ Mia dropped her voice to a whisper. 

With Mia at her side, Dani walked into the front room. ‘Oh dear!’ She took in the disaster of the tree, Sam and Jamie having coffee and Gracie eating a bowl of cereal on her bean bag chair with the cat fighting for some of the milk. ‘Gracie! How did the cat get in!’

‘I don’t know, mommy.’ Gracie looked at her mother with absolute innocence.   
‘Kitty! There you are!’ Mia headed right to the side of her sister and was soon cuddling the cat in her arms. 

Dani winced slightly and was soon helped to sit on the couch by Sam. ‘Mia?’

‘Mr. Kitty was all wet, mommy.’ Mia said. ‘He wanted to get dry.’

‘Did you let the cat in the house?’

‘Just into the kitchen. He was happy by the vent.’

‘Has daddy not said that the cat is to not come in the house at all?’ 

Mia kissed and cuddled the cat. ‘It was wet and it had been raining, mommy. I only let it into the kitchen.’

Dani sighed, ‘You’re not to let the cat in ever again, not even into the kitchen no matter how wet it is.’

‘Mr. Kitty is hungry.’ Gracie added as the cat tried to get at her empty bowl. ‘Can we give it tuna?’

‘No, we are not feeding the cat.’ Dani said.

Mia was still being lectured about the cat when Malcolm awoke with a start. ‘Dani?’ He got up and looked about, his feet easily slipping into his slippers. After checking the washroom, he realized she wasn’t about. In the hallway he looked about into the other rooms. ‘Seriously? They left me sleeping in?’ Running a hand through his hair to try and comb it down a little, Malcolm made his way down the stairs. ‘Look you lot! I don’t know what you’re up to but I’m not the one meant to be sleeping in!’ Malcolm huffed aloud to lecture them. ‘You better not have had any breakfast either! I had plans to do proper bacon and eggs for everyone.’ 

‘Oh, Malcolm.’ Dani tutted at him aloud. ‘It’s the holidays!’ 

‘Holidays or not, I’m still the man of the house!’ Malcolm turned into the front room thinking to continue his lecture. ‘No letting me sleep… ‘ His lecture trailed off. ‘...in…’ Malcolm’s eyes narrowed. He had spotted the damaged lights, the scattered ribbons and baubles. ‘What on earth…’

‘Now, Malcolm.’ Dani spoke softly to him, trying to calm him down.

Malcolm’s eyes narrowed even further as his glance spotted the cat between the two little girls. 

The two adversaries squared off immediately. The cat stood up, its back arching and ears flattening back. Malcolm glared at the cat as if it were an intern at Number 10 who had just made a tragic error on an interview with one of the junior ministers. 

Both girls tried to calm the cat down by petting it quickly. 

‘No cats are to be in this house.’ Malcolm glowered at the girls. ‘I don’t care to know how or who let the cat in. Get .. it… out!’ 

Dani levered herself up from the couch and went up to Malcolm. The cat, showered with cuddles by the two girls, settled down to just looking at Malcolm warily. ‘Malcolm, shush. The cat is pretty harmless.’

‘Harmless? Look at the tree!’ He waved at the mess.

‘The tree is still standing and the rest can all be replaced and fixed.’ Dani told him, her hand stroking his arm. ‘Mia let him in last night when he was drenched from the rain. I think if you had seen it drenched you would have done something for it as well.’

‘I don’t like animals in the house. I thought I’d been clear the last time.’

‘Malcolm,’ Dani smiled at him, slipping her arm around his to steady herself. Standing on the tip of her toes she kissed his cheek. ‘I think it’s wonderful that your daughter cares about those who need help and can’t take care of themselves at that moment. Something she learned from you.’

‘Dani.’ Malcolm looked at her, catching her meaning. 

‘Meow.’ The cat wrinkled its nose and jumped down from the chair, escaping the girls’ clutches. It strode over to Dani and rubbed up against her legs, winding in and out of them before sitting on its back legs to stretch its paws up onto her thighs. ‘Meow.’

‘Mr. Kitty is hungry. Can we feed him?’ Mia asked.

‘It is the holidays, Malcolm. A little gift of tuna wouldn’t hurt.’ Dani gave him a little hug. 

Malcolm coughed. ‘Fine. We’ll feed it.’ He glared at Mia. ‘You better not let it back in the house ever again!’

‘I won’t, daddy. Promise!’ Mia looked up at Malcolm, smiling sweetly.

Malcolm knew this wouldn’t be the last time he’d face the feline. For now though, he let out his breath and headed to the kitchen. ‘Tuna for the cat. Bacon and eggs everyone else?’

After they had all had a good breakfast, the family were back in the front room to pick up after the cat’s handiwork. Dani had the girls work on collecting up the damaged gifts to put them to one side for re-wrapping. The other gifts were moved out of the way while Sam and Jamie collected up the stray baubles. Two more of them were lost in the process. Gracie landed on one with her bottom. While she thought the loud pop the bauble made when it shattered to be hilarious, the cat didn’t and it squealed loudly and scampered out of the room. 

‘Dani, can you remember if I had put the extra strings of lights out in the shed for storage?’

‘I believe you did. Last year.’ Dani thought a moment. ‘Check the small red tub.’

Malcolm wrapped up the damaged string of lights and threw them out in the trash as he headed out the back door. Out in the shed, he had to move a number of other tubs to get to the red one Dani had mentioned. ‘Ah, love. You’re memory is a wonder.’ He looked inside and found the boxes of the extra lights right on the top. Setting them to the side, Malcolm packed the tub back up and re-stacked them. 

Returning to the house, Malcolm was about to open the back door when he saw the cat peering out of it. Its paw was scratching at the glass. ‘Now you want out? Demanding little critter.’ Malcolm opened the door and the cat shot out of the house. ‘Stay out!’ He shouted after the fleeing cat. 

‘Mr. Kitty gone?’ Gracie had come to the back door with the noise of the cat scratching at it. 

‘Yes, gone home where he belongs.’ Malcolm said, shooing the little girl back inside. ‘Let’s go get the lights on the tree, little lady.’


	22. Chapter 22

The next day was quiet and relaxing for everyone. ‘I’m going to bed early.’ Dani announced. ‘I just need to lay down.’

‘You’re past due now, aren’t you?’ Sam asked, offering to help her up the stairs. 

‘Doctor had thought anytime between mid-December to end.’

‘Maybe he doesn’t want to be a Christmas baby but a New Year’s baby.’

‘I’d rather sooner.’ Dani said. ‘Thank you, Sam. You and Jamie have been such a big help.’

‘Well, if the little one takes his time, I’ll tell Jamie to extend my vacation and I’ll stay around a bit longer.’  
‘Thank you, Sam. I appreciate it.’ Dani settled onto the bed with Sam’s help. ‘Oh, that feels much better.’ She rubbed her extended belly. ‘Anytime now, little lad.’

Dani fell asleep and Sam left her. She slept soundly and wasn’t even aware of Malcolm coming to bed to join her. 

‘Oof.’ Dani was woken up suddenly from a stab of pain. ‘Ow!’ She gasped at the power of the contraction. Another contraction followed quickly. She reach out and grabbed Malcolm’s hand tightly. ‘Malcolm!’ 

‘Huh?’ Malcolm woke up. ‘You okay?’ He blearily saw that it was almost 3 am. 

‘Contractions are strong suddenly.’ Dani rubbed at her belly. ‘Oh my.’ She worked to calm her breathing. Another ripple of her muscles had her squeezing Malcolm’s hand in a death grip. 

‘Shit, I could see that one.’ Malcolm was awake now. ‘That was hardly a minute between.’

Dani closed her eyes, just breathing. 

‘Is it time?’

‘It’s just a few contractions, Malcolm. Relax.’

‘I’ll get dressed, be ready.’ Malcolm made to get up from the bed but Dani’s hand held on tight, not letting him leave.

‘You’re starting to panic.’

‘I’m not!’ Malcolm said. ‘We’ve been through this before.’

‘We have. Me more than you.’ Dani reminded him. ‘I’ll know when it’s time. Ow!’ Another contraction ran through her. 

‘Breathe, Dani.’

‘You… ‘ Dani gasped from another contraction. ‘Shut up! I know to breathe!’

‘Sorry, love.’ Malcolm rubbed her shoulder, letting her continue to tightly hold his hand. He saw the next contraction of her muscles ripple over her belly. She cried out softly again. 

He did his best to comfort her as another three contractions, about 4 minutes apart, sent her gasping. 

Dani whimpered after the third one. She sagged a little against him, happy to have his arm around her. ‘Alright, you are right! It’s time, Malcolm.’

‘Now?’ 

‘Yes.’ Dani sighed. ‘My water…’

‘Now?’

‘It broke. We have to go.’

‘Now!’ Malcolm got up from the bed. He pulled on the trousers he’d been wearing the day before. ‘Now!’ He looked at Dani. ‘You need something warm on.’

‘My housecoat.’ Dani nodded to the washroom. ‘It’s on the door.’

He ran into the washroom, got the heavy terry-cloth cotton robe and brought it to her. Helping her sit up, he got it draped around her. ‘You okay? Any more contractions?’

‘Not yet. We have to go, Malcolm.’ She rubbed her belly. ‘Our boy wants out now.’

‘Right. Let’s get you downstairs. Careful, love.’ 

They navigated the stairs, pausing as another contraction hit her hard. 

‘Quickly, Malcolm. Please?’ Dane couldn’t help but plead with him.

‘Bag.. bag.. ‘ He looked around. ‘Upstairs. It’s upstairs. Hang on.’

Dani nodded. ‘Tell Jamie!’

Malcolm got the bag they had prepped for her visit to the hospital. He ran into Mia’s bedroom and shook his friend awake. 

‘Malcolm?’ Jamie barely cracked an eye open.

‘Look after the girls, mate. The baby..’

‘Now?’

‘Now!’ Malcolm grinned like a fool. ‘My boy is about to be born!’

‘Go on then, Malcolm. Call us when we can come to the hospital.’

‘We’re off!’ Malcolm said, grabbing the bag from the floor and clattering down the stairs. Dani, sitting on the bottom of the stairs, was helped out to the car by Malcolm. 

‘No speeding!’ Dani barked at him. ‘I’m not dying, just about to give birth.’

Pulling up at the hospital, Malcolm was helping Dani out of the car when nurses came out to help. They quickly had Dani in a wheelchair to get her to the delivery room. Malcolm was on their heels. It was a blur of action that Malcolm barely kept up with. 

Dani was being timed to see how long it was between contractions. Malcolm just kept getting pushed off to one side. All he wanted to do was keep hold of her hand, to be there to comfort and encourage. 

‘Mr. Tucker.’ The head nurse finally took him by the arms and bodily moved him to the head of the delivery bed. ‘Just stand here. This is the best place for you right now.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’ Malcolm rested his hand on Dani’s shoulder, squeezing her lightly.

‘It’s okay, Malcolm. This is normal.’ Dani relaxed for a moment. ‘Easier than with Gracie.’

‘Feels like it’s been hours already.’

‘Could be anytime now.’ The nurse said. ‘Doctor is on his way. Shouldn’t be more than five minutes.’

‘Not too soon, little lad.’ Dani stroked her belly. Another contraction rippled through her and Malcolm’s hand tightened on her shoulder. She reached up her hand to take his in hers. ‘Just be here with me, Malcolm.’

‘I’m not going anywhere, love.’ 

The contractions came more quickly. The doctor stormed in, pulling on a robe. ‘Wanting that Christmas baby still, Dani?’

‘I’ll be happy with today. Ahhh.’ Dani clutched tight to Malcolm’s hand. 

‘Today it is then.’ The doctor said. ‘Your little lad is coming out now.’

Dani spent the next 20 minutes pushing hard. Then suddenly, the pressure was released and it was followed by a loud cry. The doctor quickly tied off the umbilical cord. A nurse took over to quickly clean the baby off. 

‘Ten toes, ten fingers and one hell of a set of lungs.’ The doctor announced. ‘As of 5:21 am on December 23rd, Baby Boy Tucker has been born. Congratulations to both of you.’ 

‘3.7 kilos.’ The nurse announced as she expertly got a small diaper on him and swaddled him. ‘Here you go, mom.’ 

Dani, sweat on her brow matting her hair, reached out and took her little boy in her arms. The boy was still crying loudly. Malcolm, finally allowed to move to her side, looked down in wonder at their newborn boy. ‘He’s got your lungs.’

‘Long as he doesn’t wind up with my language.’ Malcolm reached out and gently stroked his son’s tiny hand. The little fingers flexed open and then gripped around Malcolm’s offered finger. ‘He’s beautiful, Dani.’

‘I thought he’d be bigger.’ Dani said as she gently cupped the newborn’s head. ‘Already some hair.’

‘He’ll grow up fast enough.’ Malcolm reminded her. ‘I think he’s got your nose.’

‘Oh, Malcolm. It doesn’t matter. He’s ours.’ 

‘He is.’ Malcolm agreed and kissed Dani proudly. They marvelled at their baby boy for a while until he finally quieted down and dozed off in Dani’s arms. Dani yawned herself. ‘Here, let me take the lad so you can sleep.’

‘Don’t go anywhere.’ Dani protested as he gently lifted their boy from her arms. 

‘Just going to sit here beside you. I’ll see about calling Jamie in a bit. The girls are going to adore him.’

‘I want to be awake when they get here.’

‘You will be, love.’

Malcolm settled into the chair right beside the bed. The little boy was so tiny in his arms, he thought. His little mouth was open as he slept. Occasionally, his hands and fingers twitched in response to whatever he was dreaming of. 

A nurse came in and slipped a cradling pillow under the baby for Malcolm to rest his arms a little. She left again in silence to let Dani and the baby sleep on.

‘My little boy.’ Malcolm spoke softly to his son. ‘You look so small and wonderful. Like your beautiful and wonderful mommy. Wait till you meet your sisters. Mia is going to be such a great big sister for you. The way she was with Gracie was amazing. She’s going on 7 soon and will want to read to you a lot. When you see the drawing on your bedroom wall you’ll see how well she can draw and colour too.’

He touched his son’s face, stroking the little boy’s pink cheek lightly. ‘Then there’s your sister, Gracie. I can see her talking you into so much trouble. But I’ll try to keep you out of trouble. Us boys are going to have to stick together. Won’t we?’ 

‘He can’t understand you, Malcolm.’ Dani said softly from the bed.

‘You should be asleep.’ Malcolm told her off. 

‘I want to hold him.’ Dani said. Malcolm got up carefully with the pillow and placed it on her lap. He gently laid their boy on her lap. ‘They’ll be getting up soon at home. Why don’t you go call them.’

‘A little longer, love.’ Malcolm said, sitting on the edge of the bed as best he could to hug her and lay a hand on his son’s sleeping head.

An hour later, Dani was wheeled into a recovery room to rest and to just keep the newborn under a period of observation. The nurse confirmed that visitors would be fine so Malcolm got on the phone and called home. It was Mia that picked up the phone with Jamie telling her off in the background. 

‘Mia, I need to speak to Uncle Jamie please.’

‘Is our baby brother born?’ Mia begged to be told.

‘Yes, Mia. You’re a big sister again. Now, can I please speak to Jamie? Unless you don’t want to come and meet your brother right away.’

Mia didn’t say anything else to Malcolm but let the phone drop as she went running off to Gracie. ‘He’s born! He’s born! We’re going to go meet our brother!’

‘Mia! Quiet down!’ Jamie barked. ‘Sorry, Malcolm. I swear I am not a dad material. Ever.’

‘No, you’re just Uncle material. Don’t be too hard on the girls they’re going to be very excited until they meet their brother.’ Malcolm chuckled. ‘We’re in a recovery room now so why don’t you bring the girls to the hospital.’

‘The baby?’

‘Healthy and sleeping at the moment. Dani’s resting herself.’ Malcolm stroked Dani’s shoulder as her head rested against his chest. ‘He’s a handsome little boy, Jamie.’

‘As long as he takes after his mother!’ Jamie teased. ‘Give us an hour, Malcolm. Sam’s in the shower right now.’


	23. Chapter 23

‘Baby brother!’ Gracie bounced in the back seat all the way to the hospital. ‘I’m a big sister!’

‘You have to try and behave, Gracie. It’s a hospital.’ Sam tried to get the little girl to sit still. 

‘Can I hold him?’

‘That’s going to be up to your mommy and daddy.’ Sam said. 

‘Do you know how small he is?’ Mia asked.

‘No, Mia. We’ll all know soon.’ Jamie said. 

They parked and were soon in the elevator heading up to the recovery room. Jamie took hold of Gracie’s hand. ‘Now, you have to walk beside me, Gracie. No running off in here.’

‘Yes, Uncle Jamie.’ Gracie was more hushed now in the hospital environment. 

Mia and Sam led the way down the corridor until they arrived at the room. Mia knocked on the door then opened it. ‘Daddy? Mommy?’

‘Mia! Come in! Come meet your brother.’ Dani called from the bed. 

Mia was tentative about approaching the bed. Sam gave her a little nudge. 

‘Daddy! Mommy!’ Gracie barrelled into the room. ‘Where’s baby?’ 

‘Shush, little lady.’ Malcolm got up from the side of the bed and bear hugged his daughter, lifting her into the air. ‘Be careful. Your brother is going to be very delicate.’

Mia came up to the side of the bed, peering at the little baby in Dani’s lap on the cradling pillow. ‘Baby brother.’ She whispered softly. ‘He’s sleeping.’

‘Dani, he’s adorable.’ Sam looked at the little bundle. ‘And he’s got some hair already. How sweet.’

‘Can I come up on the bed?’ Mia asked.

Gracie smiled down at her brother from Malcolm’s arms. ‘Baby brother. Pretty!’

‘Of course you can come up on the bed, Mia. Jamie? Can you give her hand up?’ Dani said.

Jamie lifted up Mia so she could kneel on the bed beside Dani. Her brother lay there, asleep. His little hand was curled up against his mouth. His skin was still a deep pink from the recent birth. 

‘He’s so small.’ Mia said, her hand reaching out gently to touch his fingers. She looked at her mother first then, after she nodded, touched her brother. ‘He’s soft.’

The strange touch on his fingers woke the little boy. His arms stretched out and he yawned. 

‘It’s okay,’ Mia said softly to him. ‘I’m Mia. I’m your big sister. I’m going to love you and take care of you.’ The little boy made a noise in response and curled his hands into tiny fists, then opened them again. Mia held out a finger and the boy gripped hold of it. Mia laughed lightly. ‘You’re strong.’

‘Want to sit with brother.’ Gracie wriggled in Malcolm’s arms. 

‘You have to behave and not be rough.’ Malcolm said as he set Gracie on the other side of Dani. 

‘Baby brother.’ Gracie smiled. She reached out her hands to touch his head gently. Malcolm hovered very close. ‘His eyes are closed.’

‘He’ll open them soon enough.’ Dani said. ‘He’s getting used to being outside. Introduce yourself to him.’

Gracie smiled at her brother. ‘I’m Gracie. I love you. Can I hug him?’ 

‘Be very gently. More gentle than with your bears.’ 

Gracie bent over her brother and hugged him very carefully. Her brother roused and waved his arms about, grabbing for her. ‘He loves me. He wants to hug me.’

‘Of course he does,’ Malcolm agreed. ‘He’s your brother.’

‘He does look a lot more like Dani.’ Jamie winked at Malcolm. ‘Good thing that.’

‘Ha ha ha.’ Malcolm scowled at Jamie. 

‘Have you thought of a name yet?’ Sam asked.

Dani and Malcolm smiled at one another. ‘You get the honour, Malcolm.’

‘Girls, Jamie, Sam.’ Malcolm laid a hand on his son’s little head, stroking the little tuft of hair. ‘I’d like to introduce you formally to your new brother, Alastair Tucker.’

‘Hello, Alastair.’ Sam bent over and kissed the top of the boy’s head, getting a smack from a little fist. 

Jamie gave the boy a little shake of his hand, ‘Hello, Alastair.’

‘Alastair.’ Mia repeated his name. She bent over and kissed him on the cheek. ‘I love you, Alastair.’

‘Alstair!’ Gracie tried to say his name. ‘I love you, too.’ She kissed him as well on the cheek. 

Little Alastair reached up with his hands to catch Gracie on both cheeks. His eyes opened a little and a little smile formed on his face. 

‘Daddy! Mommy! He’s smiling.’ Gracie beamed at them.

‘He’s saying he loves us back.’ Malcolm said. ‘Aren’t you, lad?’

Alastair responded with a burp and then a wail.


	24. Chapter 24

‘It’ll be good to go home.’ Dani groaned as she returned to her bed after using the washroom. Malcolm sat in the chair with their boy sleeping in his arms. Alastair’s skin had calmed down finally into a regular pink tone and he opened his eyes regularly. ‘You’re an expert at that, Malcolm.’

‘Holding our son feels natural.’ Malcolm beamed at her. ‘How are you doing?’

‘Now that our little guy is out, lots better.’ Dani rubbed her belly. ‘I’ll have to get back to exercising to lose this baby fat.’

‘You never had to do anything extra after Gracie.’ Malcolm winked at her. ‘Looking pretty sexy still.’

‘Imagine how much fun it’s going to be to try and be adult now.’ Dani laughed. ‘It was hard enough with our girls, now we’ll be spending all of our time juggling the girls and jumping to Alastair’s needs.’

‘We’ll make the time, my love. Don’t you worry about that at all.’ Malcolm reached out his hand to her and she took it, smiling at the squeeze he gave her. ‘Do you need a hand getting changed?’

‘No, I’ll just take it slow. Don’t disturb Alastair. Letting him sleep is important.’

‘For him or us?’ Malcolm chuckled. 

‘For him.’ Dani struggled to put on a pair of socks. ‘We don’t matter so much now.’

‘He’s our world now.’ Malcolm whispered and gently rocked the baby in his arms as Dani finished getting dressed. ‘My little boy.’

‘Knock knock.’ Jamie arrived at the hospital room door. ‘McDonald Cab Services is here.’

‘Jamie.’ Malcolm looked up from his son. ‘The girls?’

‘At home with Sam. Figured it best to make the first car ride a quiet affair.’ Jamie picked up Dani’s bag. ‘Hustle it up, you two. I’ve only got permission to park by the door for 20 minutes.’

Malcolm surrendered his son to Dani. ‘You take Alastair, I’ll help you.’ 

Alastair slept through the process of getting buckled into his car seat. Dani settled in beside him in the rear seat while Malcolm sat in the passenger seat. Jamie drove carefully through the streets. 

Pulling into the driveway at the Tucker home, Jamie helped Dani out of the car as Malcolm freed Alastair from the car seat. He had been bundled into a light blue parka set. The cooler air woke the boy. He didn’t like the cold air and tried to warm up his nose with his hands instinctively but was frustrated by the little blue mittens on his hands. He began to fuss and cry as Malcolm cuddled him close. 

‘Not liking the cold are you, lad? We’ll get you inside and warmed up.’ 

‘Inside sounds excellent.’ Dani agreed. 

‘You’re in for a little surprise.’ Jamie grinned, carrying the bag and preceding the new parents.

‘Not sure if I’m up for any sort of surprise. More down for my own bed.’ Dani grunted as she made her way up the front steps. 

Jamie opened the door and ushered them in. 

‘Mommy! Daddy!’ The girls cried out as Dani and Malcolm stepped in the house. ‘Welcome home Baby Alastair!’

The girls had coloured a large banner with Alastair’s name on it and a bright coloured ‘Welcome Home!’ Sam and Jamie had helped hang it on the wall in the front room. 

‘Look at that, Alastair.’ Malcolm held up the little boy to look at the banner. The little boy opened his eyes, burbled and waved his little hands about. ‘This is your home, lad. Your sisters love you enough to make you that banner. What do you think?’

The little boy laughed in response. 

‘Family photo time.’ Jamie announced. ‘First time at home.’

They got the little parka set off the wide-awake little boy who liked the game more than anything and wriggled about happily. Gracie hugged him and kissed him carefully. Dani settled in the center of the couch. Alastair was more interested in trying to grab Dani’s nose at that moment. Gracie and Mia sat on either side of their mother and Malcolm stood behind the couch, draping his arms around them all. 

Jamie couldn’t help but chuckle. ‘Hey, Malcolm. It’s like you’re living that whole show, Three’s a crowd or something.’

Malcolm just grinned and shook his head at his friend. ‘No way, mate. This three are no crowd. These three are our family. Right, Dani?’

‘Very right, Malcolm.’ Dani smiled up at him, her head tilting towards him. Mia was playing ‘catch a finger’ with Alastair as Gracie was carefully stroking his little tufts of hair. 

Jamie snapped the picture at that moment, capturing the love they all shared for one another.


End file.
